


Time will tell

by Rivvers



Series: Time Series [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex centric fic, F/F, Gen, Minor Angst, Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:12:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8576182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivvers/pseuds/Rivvers
Summary: Alex has come to terms with the changes in her life and is now out and, well, if not proud yet, she's certainly getting there. A few dates, some new experiences, and a short lived relationship with Maggie finds Alex beginning to be at peace with herself for the first time that she can remember. Life is never that easy though and Cadmus sinks to new lows in their hatred of alien kind, causing Alex to wonder if they'll ever be able to defeat them. When a new face comes on the scene and turns all their lives upside down, Alex gets the opportunity to experience a love she's only ever dared to dream of. Will she get the chance? Only time will tell.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Long term lurker and never before had the guts to post. Anything. Ever. Then this emerged from the dusty corners of my mind (inspired by Dhampir’s excellent fanfic - Dana's Malakim). No one has proof read this for me, any mistakes are mine and mine alone. I own nothing. Dammit! Except Brooke ;)

It had been six months since they had been attacked by Mon-el. He had been changed in some ways so simplistically by Cadmus; in other ways, so monstrously. Taking control of his brain using cybernetics and brainwashing and implanting in his mind the single focus of killing Supergirl, her cousin and Hank, and they had no idea how to fix it. Not to mention a new endoskeleton forged of a metal from another world, increasing his strength to match Supergirl’s. She and Hank had finally overpowered him, but not before causing a great deal of damage to the both of them as well as the surrounding buildings. Kara and Hank were fully recovered; Mon-el lay in a forced coma at the DEO. None of them had any idea what the drugs were doing to him, pumped into him through an IV line behind his eye as they couldn’t pierce his skin.

It had been six months since Alex had humiliated herself in front of Maggie. With the help of her sister she had slowly dragged herself back into the land of the living. She even dated a few times, though some never got off the ground from the first date. Others? Well, that tingling feeling and the flush of the first kiss never seemed to get old. The memory of her first time sleeping with a woman would forever be imprinted in her memory as well. Never trust a bar maid that can seduce you with a psychic connection with her tongue. No regrets though. Especially not when that tongue did things to her that finally helped Alex not just accept her sexuality, but revel in it.

It had been four months since Alex ran out of luck and couldn’t avoid Maggie anymore and finally listened to Maggie’s explanation for why she had, in Alex’s mind, broken her heart. She supposed she could understand her reasoning; not wanting to induct a baby gay into the world of rainbows, not wanting to be that first love - gone but never forgotten. It still took her a while to forgive her and accept a date, after giving her a piece of her mind about how she was an adult and although she might have been coming to the party late, she wasn’t a high schooler and knew her own mind once she had finally opened her eyes to it. 

It had been two months since she realised that although she and Maggie most definitely had chemistry, in the bedroom and out of it, her insensitivity and hard-headedness (as Maggie had once been accused of by an ex) were more of a problem than Alex wanted to admit. It wasn’t that Maggie didn’t feel, so much as she didn’t have any empathy or concept of romance. Having grown up around Kara and now working with a man (Martian, whatever) who could read minds, she was used to a certain amount of care and concern that went both ways. Maggie, well, she just approached any touchy-feely issues with a snarky remark, inappropriate humour, beer and pool. Alex couldn’t be sure, because she could still count the number of women she’d gotten past first base with on one hand even if she’d lost a finger or two, but surely there was more to a relationship than joking around, banter and shagging like bunnies. Maggie never asked her opinion about anything other than work and didn’t share much in her mind or heart beyond that either. She didn’t invite her anywhere except the alien bar, didn’t talk to her about her hopes and dreams, losses or fears. Every time Alex brought the conversation up Maggie just ended up getting defensive and leaving. Every. Time. 

It had been a month since they decided to call it quits. Maggie had made a joke about how if they had been married they’d be getting a divorce over ‘irreconcilable differences’. Alex hadn’t laughed. The ‘first relationship, I told you so’ hints from Maggie for the next few weeks had been hard to bear as well. After some very awkward moments not helped by Kara’s puppy dog eyes at various crime scenes around the city, they had eventually come to a somewhat more comfortable working arrangement. Now, when they met at a scene or the bar with Hank or Kara it was, if not quite friends again yet, getting there. It may not have been the fairy-tale ending she'd dreamt of since meeting Maggie and admitting she was gay, but at least Alex felt she finally fit in her own skin. Besides, nearly thirty wasn’t over the hill. She had time. Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Alex stretched her back, sore from hunching over the computer for hours, and sighed. The third time in as many minutes it felt like. Staring at satellite pictures of the city and its surrounding areas to try and pinpoint a base of operations for the Cadmus agents that sneak attacked Mon-el was getting old fast. They’d ruled out thirteen potential venues so far. Thirteen down, probably hundreds to go. Alex sighed again and glanced at the clock, noting it was nearing early evening. A hand passed in front of her vision. “Minto?” Winn asked in a tone that sounded as fed up as she felt. Shrugging, she crammed three in her mouth at once, not even looking at him. “Bet I can fit more in my mouth at once than you can,” he smirked. Alex slowly spun her chair towards him and stared at him incredulously.

“What?” he demanded.

“Are you twelve?”

Winn frowned and pushed his chair back in front of his own computer to sulk, “sorry for trying to lighten the mood”.

A gust of fresh air blew into the main area and Alex spun around again to see Kara bouncing down the stairs with her trademark sunshine smile and an air of a job done well. Alex couldn’t help but reflexively smile back, “Supergirl, that was fast. Crisis averted?”

“Crisises averted! Is that the plural of crisis? Anyway, one fire, two hold ups and a near miss on the highway dealt with thanks to your friendly neighbourhood superhero,” Kara said with a huge grin whilst hopping up on to the command table and swinging her feet, “What else have you got for me?”

“Research?” Winn asked with a grin. Kara’s smile grew and she shook her head, poking her tongue out at him. Then she glanced down the corridor and her smile slowly slipped off her face. Alex knew what was coming and her heart hurt for her, “Any change?” Kara asked with a hopeful lilt to her voice.

“No, sorry Supergirl. Hank tried again this morning and this afternoon but he can’t get through the blocks in his mind. We don’t even know if there’s anything left of him to bring back,” Alex tried to soften her tone, but Kara’s face still crumpled.

“I’m gonna go sit with him a while, let me know if anything comes up...”

Alex watched sadly as Kara slowly walked down the corridor towards where Mon-el lay trapped in a prison of their own making. She knew Kara felt guilty. After his kidnapping, they had retraced his steps and seen the CCTV footage of the homeless man apprehending Mon-el when he stopped to offer aid. Kara felt that if she hadn’t pushed him to be a hero he wouldn’t have been in the situation in the first place; wouldn’t now be lying in their hospital bay, a vegetable for all intents and purposes. No matter how many times Alex and Hank told her that it was planned and it would have happened at some point no matter what, she still couldn’t stop blaming herself. Every day she sat next to his bedside and recounted her day to him - describing all the people she had met and the world around her- hoping to reach the part of him they all hoped was still buried deep beneath the implants and mind control, and every day he lay there, inert and unresponsive.

Alex turned back to her computer with renewed determination to find a way to make Cadmus pay. An hour of torturing her eyes later, her mobile rang. Glancing at the screen she saw Hank’s name. They chatted about progress, or lack thereof, then Hank told her he wouldn’t be back at the DEO tonight and was going to hang out with M’gann. Well he didn’t say hang out, more like ‘check in with’ but she could read between the lines and hung up with a little smirk on her face. A frown appeared when her thoughts took her back to the blood transfusion they performed to save Hank’s life months ago and the mild seizures Hank had experienced. She kicked herself again for not thinking to take an extra sample of M’gann’s blood, just to check for anomalies, but everything had happened so fast.

Kara breezed back in to the command centre, making an obvious effort to throw off the apathy that always shrouded her when she sat with Mon-el. “What’s with the frumpy face Alex?”

“My what face?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Frown on your face, plus grumpy expression. Frumpy face!” Kara retorted, trying not to giggle.

Laughing, Alex shook her head at Kara. No matter what was going on Kara was always source of light to all those around her. Alex constantly vowed to herself to remember not to take that precious gift for granted. 

“Hank just let me know he was going to see M’gann and it reminded me that we never did find out what caused those seizures when we did the transfusion. I keep wishing I got a sample to test, just to make sure.”

“Oh. Well just ask Hank to ask her for one.” 

Again, Alex’s eyebrow crawled up her brow, “Yes, Kara. That’s exactly the kind of thing to ask the person you’re trying to woo, ‘Hi, you look lovely tonight. Can I have some of your blood to run tests on please?’,” Kara just stuck her tongue out again and snickered, then her brow furrowed and she joined in the sighing that seemed to permeate the DEO tonight.

“Joel’s busy tonight, you guys want to do something? Me, you, James and Winn?” she asked with a pleading expression.

Kara had met Joel last month at a fundraising rally she was reporting on. His charity was raising money to give opportunities to young people who had gotten in trouble and needed help getting back on their path again. He was cute and tall with jet black hair and dark eyes, mocha skin that seemed flawless and a strong jaw with a dimple right in the middle of his chin. Kara fell head over cape for his happy go lucky, caring personality and it seemed the feeling was mutual, if his adoring half grin that he bestowed on Kara whenever they were together was anything to go by.

“Sorry,” said Alex, “Way too much to finish up here.”

“Can’t, sorry. Got a thing tonight. Next time?” said Winn.

“A thing?” Kara and Alex exchanged amused expressions. “Winn, you can’t call your girlfriend a thing!” snorted Alex.

“No! No, no, it’s not Tanya. It’s a, you know… a thing I have. That I’m doing. Not with her, with Tanya I mean. Just a thing. With the guys.”

“The guys? You mean James?” asked Kara quizzically.

“Nope, no. Just me and some friends. I do have friends other than you guys you know,” Alex snickered and Winn suddenly straightened from packing his things away and gave Alex a predatory look, “You know, Alex. You’ve been stuck in here at all hours the last few weeks. You should go out with Kara. Live it up a little, get back in the saddle. You know, let your hair down, meet people, meet someone, a new someone.” He finished with what he thought was a sly wink that looked more like a squint.

“Ok, a) getting back in the saddle should only ever relate to horse-back riding, and b) I don’t need dating advice from someone who met a girl in a coffee shop, took on her four dates to coffee shops, and still hasn’t even kissed her,” Alex fumed. “Besides, shouldn’t you be working on looking for Guardian and uncovering his secret identity so we can all give him a smack for getting in the way?” 

Guardian was a suited and booted hero wannabe who had started appearing at some of their operations and crimes in progress around the city a few months back. Annoying the NCPD and DEO with his sloppy take downs and knack of complicating the situation no end. 

“G…Guardian? Erm, yeah, yeah of course. I’ve, yes, have been. Totally on that. Yup, tracking and checking and tracking…” Winn stuttered, “I’ve been using CCTV and trying to see where he goes after kicking ass. It’s a totally cool suit though, right? And that guy has some mean moves. He’s such a dude. Like Guardian of the galaxy, only instead of the galaxy it’s National City and…”

“Cool suit?” interrupted Kara.

“Guy? Dude? What’s to say Guardian isn’t a woman Winn? Sexist much?” sniggered Alex.

“Well, it is. Cool I mean, and hey! I’m so not sexist Alex. I mean come on, Supergirl fan girl here. Er, boy. Fan boy. Man. Gotta go, laters,” and Winn scampered towards the employee lift, desperate to escape the Danvers sisters ganging up on him.

Kara and Alex creased up, holding onto each other and snorting with laughter whilst the few other DEO agents still there looked on in bemusement. Finally, they wound down and grinned at each other, content to share the stress release and appreciate a moment of merriment away from their worries over Mon-el and Cadmus.

“Sister night then?” enquired Kara. As Alex glanced back over at her computer and frowned Kara bounced in place next to her, “Not taking no for an answer Alex! It’s been ages since we caught up. Please? Pizza or Chinese and boy talk. Well, boy and girl talk,” she said with a wink.

Alex never could resist a bouncing, happy Kara and nodded before getting swept up in a full-on Kara hug, hearing her squeal with delight in her ear.

“I’ll order for eight, we’ll chat and watch Veep then pig out on ice cream, can’t wait, see you soon Alex,” the last few words were said as she jumped into the air and swept out of the sliding doors into the night sky. Alex smiled to herself and began shutting down her computer so she could shower and change into civvies in the DEO locker room. It would be good to catch up, although she might have to plug Kara’s mouth with a huge scoop of ice cream if she started waxing lyrical about Joel’s attributes for hours like last time. With a last sad glance towards the med bay, Alex said goodnight to the agents still working in the command centre and sloped off to get ready.


	3. Chapter 3

Just before eight, Alex trudged up the stairs towards Kara’s loft holding a bag of ice cream, resisting the urge to check her phone in case the DEO laid waste to her plans of binging on food and TV for the night. Kara opened the door with a bright smile and a reassurance that pizza and Chinese were on the way. Alex rolled her eyes at the food overload promise. What she would give to be able to eat the calories Kara did and stay slim and toned.

She dumped the ice cream in the freezer, flung her jacket on a stool and slumped onto her side of the sofa. Laying her head back and closing her eyes she let out a deep breath and relaxed for the first time all day. Kara flounced over next to her and flopped down, looking at Alex sympathetically. 

“No joy day or slow all day, day?” she enquired.

“Both,” admitted Alex, “the longer it takes to find their base of ops the more I worry we’ll be too late and something disastrous will happen,” her frustration was clear in her tone.

Kara took her by the hands and peered into her eyes, “Well, tonight will be a work free, stress free night of good food, good TV and good gossip,” she stated.

“Junk food you mean.”

“Same thing,” Kara said with a wink and a smile.

Laughing, Alex got up when the she heard a knock at the door and paid the delivery lady. Having a take away that delivered more than one type of food was a Godsend as far as Kara’s dining habits were concerned. Saved on having to ring more than one place and wait for it all to turn up. Alex started serving the food up and carried it over to the coffee table while Kara sorted out the TV to set up the next episode of Veep from where they left off last time. It had been too long since they had a sister night, she couldn’t even remember where in the story line they had gotten to. 

Her gaze strayed to the frame on the wall, proudly displaying the first article Kara had gotten published, the one on L Corp’s new alien DNA tester. She could still remember the day Kara rang her to scream about Snapper’s acceptance of her finished piece, they had celebrated long into the night with the gang, all but Kara waking up a tad under the weather and hungover the next morning. Damn alien genes. Kara followed her eyes when she finished fiddling with the TV and sat back up on the sofa. She looked at Alex with gratitude and leant over to kiss her on the cheek in thanks again. It had been Alex who carefully cut the article out, had it framed and presented it to Kara to hang in her loft. Kara beamed when she realised what it was and Alex was so pleased to have been able to put that look on her face.

They settled in and started the recorded show, stuffing their faces together until Alex slowed down her gorging in deference to her waistline. Kara continued to shove pot-stickers in her mouth without pause whilst never taking her eyes from the screen. Both continuing to comment on the characters on the screen and cheering or jeering depending on who was in frame at any given moment. This was the life, sharing these moments with her sister and knowing that she would always, always have her back. Alex stole a glance over at Kara, feeling in her heart how lucky she was to have such an amazing person in her life. She sighed softly, wishing briefly she had a partner to share other moments with as well and, just for a second, she missed Maggie fiercely. Kara of course heard her minute sigh. Super hearing. As the show drew to a close Kara muted the TV and turned to Alex with an expectant look on her face.

“What?” Alex asked defensively.

“You sighed,” she responded with an inquiring look on her face.

“And? I told you work is a drag lately and…”

“No, that was a personal sigh. I have super hearing you know. Work sighs sound different to personal sighs. Speak now or forever lose your pot-sticker privileges in this apartment sister!”

“Dork,” said Alex, throwing a cushion at her head only for it to be deflected with super speed. She sighed again, “It’s just… although I haven’t had the experience for long, you know, of being with a woman. God, it had been ages since I dated anyone! But now, I already kind of miss it, you know? Sitting with someone and snuggling and just chilling. I don’t know, I’m just in a mood. It’ll pass. Tell me about your work, any new stories you’re chasing? When are you seeing Joel next?”

“Oh no,” Kara faced Alex with her legs crossed and assumed her serious face, or what she thought was her serious face anyway, “No work speak. And I know you were thinking about gagging me last time I talked about Joel. So, this time it’s all about you Alex. Come on, talk to me, you’re still not alone I promise.”

Alex immediately teared up at the reminder of Kara’s support the day she came out to her and pulled her in for a tight hug, holding her as close as she could, knowing she couldn’t hurt her. Kara pulled out of the hug and skipped to the kitchen, retrieving the two ice-cream tubs and two big dessert spoons. Coming back to the sofa she handed Alex her favourite and sat down next to her again. Opening her own carton, she lifted the spoon ready to plunge in then stared at Alex with an expectant look on her face.

Alex smiled, knocked spoons with her in salute and then settled in for a night of gossiping. They talked about everything and anything, except work. Kara opened-up about her fears of losing Joel because of her not being able to open-up about who she really was, and her new-found friendship with Lena, who she had difficulty trusting because of her past with Lex. Alex held her and empathised, feeling even worse than usual about her sister’s dual life as she felt she could now live openly, yet Kara still had to keep a piece of herself apart from the man she was falling for. Alex, in turn, opened-up about her fears that she had missed chances in the past and left herself open to future heartbreak if she couldn’t make it work with a woman either, seeing as how she hadn’t had much luck with men so far. They both gave reassurances and condolences and talked themselves out for hours before sliding together into a heap in the middle of the sofa, exhausted but content.

Kara insisted on Alex staying the night. They crawled under the covers together as they had so many times throughout their life growing up together. Curling in towards each other, they slipped into sleep with hints of a smile still lingering.

Alex struggled to stay asleep despite being comfy and warm. The third time she awoke she could hear Kara mumbling about crullers and sticky buns. Smiling to herself, she gently rolled out of bed and padded to the kitchen to get some water. Since her revelation, most nights she slept more soundly that she ever had before without the help of good old Jack, of the Daniels variety. But some nights, like tonight, her mind raced with thoughts. Tonight, it kept taking her on a journey back into her memories, as if it was determined to show her every lost chance and regret now that she could see them in a different light.

 

It wasn't like she hadn't dated, she had. A few boys in high school and a couple of cute guys in college. Now though, it was the might haves and the could haves that were gnawing at her in the darkest hours of the night, when sleep was elusive. What if that woman she met at the labs during her finals, the one that made her catch her breath in her throat whenever she leant close to peer over shoulder until Alex had started working with a different partner to escape the feelings in her gut, what if she had been the one? What if she could have been knee deep in nappies and I love you's since then, for years, instead of only now realising what she might want? Not that she was sure she wanted children, but still.

 

Oh, she knew intellectually that just because there had been a few might have been’s doesn't mean she'd be guaranteed happiness now if she'd known then what she knows now and took the leap. Enough people have told her that first love doesn’t last; Maggie, Lucy, Winn, James, Hank and even that women she dated once who had a strange habit of flicking her hair until she nearly cricked her neck every five seconds, had told her that. Repeatedly. It seemed like everyone and their dog wanted to share their romantic history and problems to help her now she'd come out. She knows they mean well but, then she thinks of Agent Martinez at work, who she got know in the gym at the DEO over the last couple of years. Agent Martinez had let a lot of personal details slip while they were spotting each other and sweating together. Martinez is her age; she’s been with her husband since she was sixteen. Fair enough, they had troubles in the early days, leading each other astray and getting in trouble. But they had stuck it out, helped each other find themselves again. Now they had three beautiful kids, went to church every Sunday she wasn't stuck at the DEO for an emergency, and by all accounts seemed deliriously happy. So, maybe, it could have happened for Alex too?

What if you only get one chance at a real soul mate, and Alex had let her chance slip through her fingers because she didn't even know she should have been looking for a her and not a him? 

She crossed the room and leant with her forehead against the window. She’s been soul searching for months now. Yes, she felt more at peace with herself than ever before in terms of being honest with herself. That didn’t stop the fears and insecurities creeping in though. She was adrift in a new world, like a baby taking their first shaky steps, and it terrified her sometimes. Alex was a perfectionist. Everything she did or tried she did to the best of her ability. Worked at it until she was the best. School, college, science, being an agent, protecting Kara. She’d got all that down to a tee. But this? Putting herself out there, at nearly thirty, chancing rejection and not being able to be good at being a lesbian? She chuckled to herself for trying to condense her love life into a skill to be learnt and perfected. Was there a lesbian handbook that had all the answers? Man, if there was they would make a fortune! With a last look at the sky which was just being touched by the first blush of dawn, she turned back to Kara’s bedroom to try for another couple of hours sleep. Work would come all too fast anyway, no point rushing into it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading. Especially to those that left kudos, which inspired me to hammer out another chapter in record time. It got so long I split it into two. Here's the first bit, chapter 5 will be up in a bit as well, as soon as I proof read it ;)

It had been another slow morning at the DEO. Two more venues checked and searched and nothing. Nerves were beginning to fray. Kara was wrapped up in researching a lead Snapper had given her, something about an eco-warrior group threatening a visiting oil magnate. Winn had retreated to a side room and Hank was skulking in the armoury 'shooting at something' again after Alex had snapped at them one too many times. She stood behind the command desk, hands on her hips, glaring at the main screen that was still cataloguing possible targets. Trying to use her force of will to persuade the computer to find something. Anything. When her phone rang, she didn't even look away from the main screen to check caller ID, swiping the screen and lifting to it to her ear before barking out a terse, "Danvers."

"Hi. I'm down here with security. Wanna tell them I'm not a terrorist and let me up? I got us a lead!"

"Sawyer? You could have just called me with the lead, why come here?" Alex's heart started beating faster at the prospect of seeing Maggie. It annoyed her, but it seemed whilst her mind had moved on her body had other ideas. Maybe muscle memory remembered all the times a word whispered in her ear, or a touch or caress, had made it beat faster while they were dating. Rolling her eyes at herself she listened whilst moving towards the armoury.

"Thanks for the warm welcome Danvers, nice!"

"That's not what I meant Maggie."

"I'm here because I want in on this when it goes down. The lead is credible Alex; I think we could get somewhere finally with this. And I'm not gonna sit on the side-lines while you have all the fun."

Alex had reached the armoury and covered the phone with one hand, "Hank, Maggie's here with a lead. Can you call down and authorise entry?" Hank's eye widened slightly and he nodded, already moving to collect Winn and pulling out his phone. Alex retreated to the command centre whilst letting Maggie know she was to come straight there.

Alex paced while she waited. Winn and Hank came in just as an agent escorted Maggie to them. All three turned as one and looked at her expectantly. She gave her lopsided grin and began to brief them about a lead she got from an alien at the bar that morning. Alex's eyebrows raised and she smirked at Maggie, wondering at her frequenting a bar so early in the morning. Maggie caught the look and rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly, catching on to Alex’s implication. Alex felt a pang in her chest at how easily they could still communicate without words. Vigorously pushing those feelings down, she focused back on the conversation, realising Maggie had said the lead pointed to an abandoned warehouse in the waterfront district with a suspicious amount of men in fatigues coming and going.

“How did the alien get close to this site? He may have spooked them if he looked like he was obviously observing them.” asked Hank.

“His staple diet is small flying insects; he perches on roof tops down at the docks because he says the sea breeze brings them in by the truckload. Apparently…”

“Eeew,” Winn wrinkled his nose up in distaste. Maggie carried on speaking like he hadn’t interrupted, “apparently, he’s shy and uses the shadows and roof tops to move around the city, sticking to that area and the bar for the most part. There’s no CCTV near the warehouse, I checked, so it won’t have shown up in your search patterns. I think it’s definitely worth a look.”

Hank looked at Maggie for a moment then turned to Alex, waiting to see her take on it. Alex returned his look. A spark of pride warmed her when she realised Hank trusted her to make the call. “Let’s do it. Winn, give us as much intel as you can about the area. Maggie, gear up with the strike team, you’re going in with us. Vasquez, get team alpha together in the briefing room, we’ve got a take down to plan.” Everyone jumped into action and the atmosphere became electrified. After weeks of nothing, it felt like they finally had a place to start; hope shone imperceptibly on everyone’s face as they all started to prepare.

It was decided to launch the strike at midnight to reduce the risk of civilian casualties and give more cover. Alex contacted Kara to bring her into the planning; she would never have forgiven her if she left her out of it. After hours of hashing out the details, Hank and Winn were doing last minute tech checks, Kara was now with Mon-el and Alex was in the armoury, checking weapons, killing time. Maggie sauntered in and leant against the table Alex was working at. Alex could feel her eyes on her face and her cheeks started to heat at the appraisal. She eventually glanced up to see Maggie smirking at her, those damn dimples twinkling at her. She may have decided not to pursue a relationship with her, but God, she was sexy. It seemed her body couldn’t help but react. Maggie sidled closer until her hips were pressing against Alex’s, “Watching you handle guns is so hot…”

Alex stiffened and moved away a fraction, turning to look at her incredulously, “What the hell are you doing Maggie?” she challenged.

“Sorry, I just thought you might still be up for it? Look, I know you don’t want a relationship and I’m cool with that. But there’s nothing wrong in taking pleasure in each other whilst we’re not seeing anyone else, is there?” she stepped closer and ran her hand along the back of Alex’s thigh, pausing at the curve where her leg meets her ass, squeezing slightly. Alex’s breath hitched and her eyelids lowered slightly, her pupils dilating. Oh yeah, her body still remembered and was not shy in letting her know it thought this was an excellent idea. Alex’s mind, however, starting sending up red flag signals, pointing out all the ways this could go horribly wrong. Maggie had stepped even closer and now reached with her free hand to Alex’s other hip and used her grip to pull her into a closer embrace, leaning up to brush her lips against her neck slightly on the way to her ear. Alex’s eyes slammed shut and a breathy little moan escaped her as Maggie whispered into her ear, “No one needs to know, we can be friends with benefits.”

Alex’s eyes shot open at the words and she stepped back. Making eye contact with Maggie she tensed her jaw, “Thanks, but no thanks Maggie. We’re just getting back on an even keel, I don’t want to jeopardise that,” Alex could see Maggie was about to push it but then she sighed and stepped back, her hands held up, palms out in appeasement. “Ok Danvers, no harm no foul. Just thought I’d ask,” with a last grin she loped back out of the armoury, leaving Alex banging her head against the table in frustration. Stupid, stupid, she berated herself. Kara walked in and, noticing Alex’s emotional state, badgered her until she spilled the beans. They spent the rest of the wait dissecting the encounter second by second, concluding that it was a good idea to resist for now, but if a long dry spell came along then, who knows? Chuckling they left the armoury and joined Hank and Winn in the main area. Alex doing her best to maintain a professional air in front of Maggie whilst Kara looked between the two of them with a mischievous grin on her face. They all settled in to wait, with varying levels of patience ranging from zero (Kara) to an abundance (Hank), until they could roll out and start the mission.


	5. Chapter 5

At two minutes to midnight, the strike team members were holding position at their assigned coordinates, waiting for the green light. Supergirl and Hank flew the perimeter, checking for traps, and came back to crouch beside Alex, “All clear so far,” stated Hank. Alex raised her fist and signalled the first team to approach. They crept to the only door they had observed and moved to either side. Once in position the following teams moved in and the first team entered, sweeping to each side to cover the rest. Within thirty seconds four teams were inside with one team left behind to keep eyes outside. The warehouse seemed as abandoned on the inside as it did on the outside; Alex felt doubt start to creep in, glancing over at Maggie who gave her a determined look. Shrugging internally, Alex gave the command to fan out and each team took a different corner. Agent Brody’s team flagged a find first and Alex’s team, consisting of her, Maggie, Martinez and Winn converged on them, with Kara and Hank beside them.

As they approached they could see the floor where Brody’s team were congregating appeared cleaner than the rest of the warehouse. On closer inspection, a faint rectangular seam could be seen spanning an area approximately six by eight feet. Alex glanced at Kara and she nodded, squinting her eyes slightly as she employed her x-ray vision, “It’s a stairwell leading down to a corridor that crosses the end like a T-junction. I can’t see any further than the ends of the corridor, it must be lead lined beyond that.”

“So how do we get in,” asked Maggie in quiet tones. Kara started to look at the surrounding area on the floor and wall. She started in surprise then pointed to what looked like a box holding wires together on the wall, “that looks like it holds old wire but I can see inside and it’s some crazy high tech key pad with a red light blinking below it.”

“And that’s my cue,” whispered Winn, taking his backpack of tricks from his shoulder. Hank had been reluctant to allow Winn to come along on what could be a dangerous mission; Alex had insisted he was their best tech support. Hank acquiesced after Alex agreed to swaddle him in as much bullet proof clothing and gear as they could. She was glad she had the foresight to bring him now, watching as he confidently scanned the box then levered it open to begin working on the code. It took ten minutes for Winn to be able to bypass the security without tripping an alarm. Each minute felt like an hour and sweat had begun to trickle down Alex’s back by the time the trap door slid open noiselessly.

They called the rest of the teams inside the warehouse over and gave out marching orders. Hank and Kara first, followed by Alex’s team, backed up by Brody’s team. Leaving Demarco’s team to cover the entrance. Peering down into the metal enshrouded stairwell, Alex took a deep breath and nodded for them to proceed.

At the bottom of the stairs Alex split Kara and Hank and divided her teams equally between them then gave the nod; Alex’s team went left with Kara. They crept along the deathly quiet corridor, painfully aware of each squeak of rubber on the smooth surface beneath them, each brush of fabric against the other. Every noise sounded amplified in the stillness. Twenty yards from the end of the corridor, where it branched off to the right, a soldier swung around the corner. Their training must have been spectacular as he didn’t freeze at the sight of intruders, but immediately hit his radio and blew their cover before Kara could even get to him with her super speed. A fraction of a second after putting out the call he was slumped unconscious on the floor. Kara looked at Alex with horror on her face as a klaxon started blaring the alarm. Alex hit her comm’s and yelled, “We’ve been made, repeat we’ve been made. Forget stealth, go, go, go.”

Released from the need for silence the agents stormed forwards, Winn protectively boxed in by four agents. Two corridors, fourteen stunned soldiers and a staircase later they reached an open space filled with computers and tech. Also, unfortunately, filled with soldiers determined to kill them. The teams fanned out to find cover, exchanging fire. Alex heard Winn yelling, he started to stand and was dragged back down by his collar. He turned to her with an air of desperation on his face and shouted, "The data. They're wiping it, all of it!". Alex peeked over the top of the crates she was ducking behind and saw immediately that a group of soldiers were protecting a handful of people that were furiously typing, as one by one all the interfaces and screens went dead. Alex tapped her comm's again to update the team and ordered that all fire be directed at the group. Kara was flying in and out of the line of fire trying to stop them but they fell back towards a hidden door and disappeared through it. As the agents converged on it a tremendous explosion rang out, catching Kara who was at the front of the charge and throwing her across the room. Everyone fell to the floor and lay stunned for a moment, ears ringing in the aftermath. Slowly, Alex dragged herself to her feet and crept forward. The tunnel entrance was buried under tonnes of rubble. Pursuit was impossible. Turning back to check on the teams, her face twisted in horror; Kara was still down, "Supergirl!"

**********

Alex sat by the sun bed waiting for Kara to wake up. A kryptonite bomb. Bastards! The de-brief she'd had to attend while Kara lay recovering felt like a litany of her failures as a team leader. The whole time she was kicking herself for allowing Kara to get hurt, sprinting to the Med bay as soon as Hank had finished with his lecturing. She reached out a trembling hand to stroke a stray piece of hair away from Kara's face, resting her hand on her shoulder, willing her to come around. Maggie walked in and hovered near the bed, “Are you ok?” Alex didn’t even look up. “Stupid question I guess.” Maggie let out a sigh and rested her hand on Alex’s back, “I know you’re blaming yourself but it’s not your fault. At least we got that encrypted memory stick from that soldier who was on his way out. Winn will crack it in no time, we’ll get some answers. It wasn’t for nothing.” Alex stayed silent, still staring at Kara’s face. Maggie sighed again, rubbed Alex’s back gently then turned and left, leaving Alex to her vigil.

Hours later Kara’s eyes fluttered open, she felt a weight on her arm and tilted her head up to look down. Alex was fast asleep. The weight on her arm was Alex having slumped forward, her head coming to rest on her. Kara smiled and reached out with her other hand to caress Alex’s head. She shot up, confusion marring her features for a second until everything came flooding back in a rush. They met each other’s eyes. Alex let out a gasp and flung herself into Kara’s arms, tears squeezing out beneath her closed eyelids. It took a while for Kara to calm her down and reassure her that she didn’t blame her. Eventually they walked back out into the command centre where everyone converged on Kara to check on her wellbeing. Hank and Winn waited off to one side, looking unusually pleased with themselves. Kara and Alex exchanged looks then sidled over to them.

“Guys? Are you just pleased to see me up and about? Or is there something you want to tell us?” asked Kara, smiling gently at them. 

Winn stepped into her and gave a bear hug, then stepped back and grinned at them both before blurting, “We got a list of targets. We know who they're gunning for next and we can get ahead of them for once!”

Winn showed them the data he had extracted from the USB. It had comprehensive information compiled about five targets. Hank explained that they knew of four of them. They were aliens from Fort Rozz and in the DEO’s database. One was presumed harmless, although he could alter people’s perceptions. Three more could be considered dangerous just because of their abilities. One was the alien whom Maggie and Alex had confronted before the fight club fiasco. His arm spikes were lethal, as was the abilities of one more of the targets and the last also had some mind control abilities, although not as powerful as Hanks. 

“Well, looks like we know how they are picking their targets. Bio-weapons and psychic abilities,” commented Alex, “Who’s the last target?” 

“We don’t know. The rest we have leads on. We should be able to pick them up for protective custody. But, this one? She isn’t in any of our databases and facial recognition doesn’t have her in any databases for the police or FBI either, so she presumably doesn’t have a record.” Hanks brow creased as he considered there being an alien in National City that wasn’t documented or known by the DEO. 

Alex walked over to the screen next to Winn’s computer and he uploaded the information for her. She stared at the pictures and data. The reports showed that they had found no social security number or online footprint for the woman. More than four different names, or aliases, were listed for her, and no fixed abode or place of work had been identified. The photos were all candid shots, taken without the subject’s knowledge. She was average height and build, with broad shoulders and a slim waist. Dark blonde hair fell in waves to just below her shoulders. The pictures showed her in various settings around the city. Walking, talking to people, sitting outside a coffee shop in the sun reading. She had obvious tattoos on the top of each arm that could been seen, although not clearly, in a couple of pictures where she was wearing a vest top, and what looked like jeans and work boots. She was pretty. Pretty in a striking way. Her pose seemed confident and in many of the shots a slight smile could be seen hovering on her face. Alex couldn’t tell what colour her eyes were or any details, but something about her captivated her attention. So much so, she tuned out of the conversation going on around her until she was pulled from her reverie by Hank asking her a direct question, “Alex, get teams together to go and pick up those targets we have identified. Winn will carry on trying to pinpoint the location of our unknown subject.”

She nodded and started to organise the teams. Not assigning herself. When Hank asked about it later she gave him a good story about opportunities for some of the agents to develop leadership skills. He fell for it and mooched off to his office. Alex let out the breath she had been holding. The simple truth of it was, she couldn’t tear herself away from the hunt for the elusive blonde. Something about her was drawing her in, and Alex was determined to solve the riddle and find her before Cadmus did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might be a couple of days before I can update again. Stupid work responsibilities. But, as it seems like people are reading this and enjoying it (thank you, thank you, thank you!) I promise to finish it eventually. Although the way this story is unfolding in my head, it looks like it's gonna be a long haul to the end peeps!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dedicating this to a dear friend who has kindly agreed to become my willing slave...er, proof reader. Boo, thanks for your unwaivering support and love over the years. This ones for you! x
> 
> I still claim any and all mistakes as my own. There will just hopefully be a lot less of them ;)

The shrieking of the alarm clock shattered the quiet; warning Alex the snooze setting had expired, for the third time. Groaning, she dragged herself into a sitting position and slammed a hand down to quiet the ear-splitting siren. It had been a long, fruitless night searching for the tattooed lady (as Alex had taken to calling her in her head). Winn had stayed late with her trying to find answers. It was especially urgent to track her down as the agents sent on recon missions had returned with grim news. Three of the four aliens on the USB recovered from the Cadmus soldier were missing. Sadly, one was beyond help. The alien Alex had briefly met six months ago was found dead behind the hostel where he roomed. It looked like he had put up a tremendous fight; blood spatter was tracked throughout the whole alley, reaching up as high as ten feet on some parts of the walls. God knows how many he had taken with him in the end. Alex shook her head to try and clear the jarring images from her mind, forcing herself to get moving. 

Stumbling through her morning routine she felt half asleep still. She even tried dialling the controls down to freezing cold briefly in the shower - before jumping out of it at a speed that near rivalled Supergirl’s - in a last-ditch attempt to clear her mind. Leaving her apartment, she made a bee line for Noonan’s to pick up Kara’s complicated coffee order and a strong double shot espresso for herself. She was swinging by Catco to update Kara on the decisions they had made regarding the woman in the photos the evening before. The warm air and fragrant aroma permeating the coffee shop seduced her weary, tired body before she could summon up any defences, she sank onto a stool. A few minutes to sit, chill and drink an espresso, or five, won’t make too much of a difference she decided.

Kara didn’t bother using her x-ray vision when she heard a knock on her office door, well, tiny broom cupboard office door. She was expecting Alex so she just called out, “Hiya, come on in!” Looking up expectantly with a smile on her face, surprise showed briefly in addition to the happiness when not Alex, but Joel, strolled through the door; Noonan’s bag in hand and his crooked half grin firmly in place. 

“Joel! What brings you here this early? Ooh, is that a sticky bun?” Kara grabbed the bag from his hand after a brief barely there kiss on his cheek and darted back to her desk, already liberating the bun from its paper confines. Joel chuckled and shut the door, coming over to lean against the corner of the desk, “It’s lucky I’m not the jealous type, or that sticky bun would be in a world of trouble right now,” he joked. Kara swallowed quickly and gave him a sheepish smile, standing to give him a proper greeting. Joel settled into a chair and they started chatting about what they had planned for their day. Alex’s planned visit completely slipping Kara’s mind. Joel brought up the opening night party for the new youth centre venue his charity had acquired, “So you remember it’s tonight, right? Friday the 5th? It was on the flyer…from five onwards?”

“Yup, don’t worry Joel, I’ll be there. I promised I would be, so I will,” Kara replied with a reassuring pat on his leg. Joel looked down at her hand and then back up into her eyes. His expression had lost his boyish grin and seemed serious. Even pensive. 

“So you aren’t going to run out in the middle of the evening again, like you did the last time? And the time before that, and…well. You get the drift. I just need you there Kara. Really there, for once. This is a big event for the charity and we could get a lot of donations with the few corporate sponsors. Especially since you promised a real high flyer would attend. It’s great you would use your connections to help us out like that, but it would look a little odd if you disappear after inviting them…”

Kara was guilt stricken and struggled to get a response out of her rapidly closing throat. They had talked about the last few date nights and how ‘something’ kept cropping up. Joel had been so supportive and understanding that she hadn’t stopped to think that maybe he was hiding insecurities about it. She didn’t know what to say. How could she make promises when she had no idea if Supergirl would be needed? She took his hands in hers and braced herself to look up. She felt a few tears well up as she made eye contact, seeing the simultaneously hopeful and resigned expression in his eyes. Rao, she wished she could just have one night off. Just one night! Was that too much to ask? Taking a deep breath, she took the plunge, hoping she wasn’t tempting fate, “Joel, you have been so there for me, and supportive in everything I’ve done. I’m so sorry chaos seems to follow me around and I keep having to go ‘crisis manage’ everything all the time. But you deserve this night, and you deserve to have someone standing by your side to tell you that. I will do everything in my power to be there for you. With you. All night.” 

Joel’s expression morphed into one of genuine pleasure and he stood, pulling Kara into him to embrace her. He leant back slightly, looking intensely into her face. Then he smiled, gently dipping his head down to slowly meld their lips together. Kara melted into the kiss, still not used to how it made her feel. The first time he had kissed her she’d pulled away and looked down, suddenly scared she’d accidently been floating. Whenever he took her in his arms it felt like she could be the one to let go for once. The one to be held, instead of always lending her strength to others. She felt safe. She completely forgot where and when she was. Which was unfortunate as Alex, having finally ejected herself from Noonan’s, chose that exact moment to walk straight in; a bag with a sticky bun in it dangling from her wrist.

She took in the scene at a glance and coughed gently once, knowing Kara would hear her. Sure enough, she sprang apart from Joel and immediately started blushing. A smirk spread across Alex’s face and she looked away, giving them a few seconds to recover. Then she caught sight of the half demolished sticky bun on the desk and her humour evaporated. She stalked towards the desk, carelessly slinging the bag in her hand onto the surface and setting down the drinks before turning towards them, her arms folded across her chest, “Did someone forget I was coming this morning?” she snarked.

“No, nope. No forgetting here Alex. Joel just came by on a surprise visit,” Kara quickly offered. Then her brow dipped and lifted again before she blurted, “but, I’m glad you’re both here because I forgot to say to you all that we’re having game night tomorrow. All of us.”

“Game night?”

“All of us?” Alex glared at her sister but she blabbered on obliviously. “Yup. It’ll be great. Me, Joel, James, Lucy, Maggie, Winn, Tanya and you…”

“Kara…” Alex didn’t for a moment miss that Kara tried to sneak Maggie’s name in the middle of that list. Kara fled behind her desk, busying herself tidying papers that didn’t need tidying, avoiding eye contact, “It’ll be great. We’ll ban James and Lucy from playing together so we all have a chance. Joel and I will get the food; you bring the drinks. Oh, could you let James and Winn know on your way out? Thanks, Alex.”

“Winn’s here?” asked Alex, momentarily distracted from laying into her sister for ambushing her.

“He’s in James old office with him, I saw them when I came in this morning. They’re being awfully secretive again as well!”

Defeated, Alex gave in and went to leave, glancing back and narrowing her eyes at her sister to deliver her ominous last parting shot, “I’ll be talking to you later Kara!”

Making her way to the office secreted at the back of the open plan area, Alex remembered she hadn’t filled Kara in on the search plans. Shrugging, she made a mental note to tell her when they had their little talk about Kara’s meddling ways later. As she approached the glass door she saw James and Winn huddled together like they were discussing classified information. Swinging open the door, the pair of them finally noticed her and jumped up, suddenly going silent, big smiles from ear to ear. Alex was starting to get a complex about being surplus to requirements this morning. She told them about game night and they seemed eager. Winn agree to leave with Alex, telling James he’d check in later. At this point Alex couldn’t even be bothered to ask what that was about and led the way to the lift without waiting for him. 

They retrieved the SUV from Catco’s underground parking lot and started the short drive to the DEO. Alex paid little attention, having done this drive a thousand times before. Instead, she spent the time wallowing in her thoughts about feeling left out again. Oh, she had been invited to game night, sure. Where there would be James, reunited with Lucy and blissful in their trust in each other from many years of partnership. Kara making doe eyes at Joel. Even Winn would be bringing coffee girl. And then there would be her, with Maggie, way out there in awkward land. The odd one out. Again. She was so fed up of everyone coupling up. Except her. This felt the same as it always had for the last few years. She’d gone through life changing upheaval and for what? To feel the same as always? Turning into the DEO security rampway she shook her head to try and shake off her morose thoughts. In less than an hour she had to meet Maggie at the bar to shake a few aliens down, in the hopes that one of them might know the identity of the tattooed lady.

They walked into the bar together; Maggie went straight up to the bar to order two beers as soon as they got there, heedless of the fact she was officially on duty, Alex went and got a booth seat, trying to avoid the flirtatious looks she was getting from the bar maid. As much fun as that night had been, she wasn’t looking for a repeat performance, especially as she hadn’t actually fessed up to Maggie that she’d had a one night stand with her ex. Her luck seemed to have run out once more though as Kayla came over with Maggie, carrying the beers herself. As she placed them onto the table she leant over, giving Alex a clear view straight down her top. Alex was helpless to prevent her eyes wandering down where they alighted on a sheer, black lacy number - framing a very nice cleavage. Gulping and looking back up quickly, Kayla winked at her lasciviously before straightening. Maggie watched the whole thing, her eyebrow nearly crawling off her face in shock. In desperation, Alex yanked the photo of the woman they were seeking out of her pocket and shoved it in front of Kayla’s face, “Do you know this woman? It’s urgent we find her; she could be in danger.”

Kayla smirked at her and took the photo, inspecting it for a moment before saying, “Sure. She plays on live band nights sometimes down at The Jericho tavern on the boulevard.”

“Wait, you know her? You’ve spoken to her?” Maggie exclaimed.

“Of course, who wouldn’t want to talk to me?” Maggie rolled her eyes at her and she continued, keeping the flirting to a minimum for now, “she might be there tonight, ‘The Entertainers’ are playing again and I’ve seen her play keyboard a few times with them. She’s nice. Not into me though unfortunately,” sighed Kayla, looking for all the world like someone had stolen her pet dog. Alex and Maggie turned to each other with equally amazed expressions, not believing it could be that easy. “Kayla, you have just earned yourself a huge tip,” said Maggie. Kayla leaned in towards Alex again, leering. Alex jumped up before she could drop her in it any deeper, garbling her thanks and beating a hasty retreat to the exit, Maggie trailing along behind her. Before Maggie could open her mouth, Alex spat out instructions to meet at eleven at the tavern in question and ran off to the SUV, breathing a sigh of relief when she managed to make good on her escape.

By ten o’clock that night Alex had managed to complete all her outstanding reports, inventoried her labs, tidied the armoury, done two circuits of the weights room, showered and stocked up every first aid kit in the DEO. Hank was inordinately pleased. Which made up for his irritation earlier when she admitted she had told Kara that she and the DEO would handle all the emergencies that Kara would normally have dealt with, so she could have a rare night off to fulfil her promise to Joel. It was worth his ire to hear the happiness in her sister’s voice and, thankfully, it was a slow night for once. Although, she was slightly concerned when Kara rang her later and described the frosty greeting between Lena and Joel as soon as she saw him at the party; Lena being the ‘high-flyer’ connection she had persuaded to attend. She made a note to investigate the history between those two as soon as this operation was over. Her protective streak when it came to Kara knew no bounds and she wasn’t taking any chances with a Luthor.

She glanced over at the digital clock on her lab wall for what felt like the millionth time. Growling at the blinking red colon that seemed to mock her every time it reported only one more minute had passed from the last time she looked. Hank came in with a welcome distraction about an NCPD report that showed an unusual chemical analysis and Alex happily buried herself in science for a while. As she sent an email to Hank confirming there was no alien presence, her phone alarm beeped to signal it was time to head out. Her palms started to sweat and her mouth went dry. She was equal parts nervous and excited about tonight’s reconnaissance; if the woman was a no-show it was going to be incredibly anti-climactic. Grabbing her black leather jacket from the back of a lab stool she headed to the lift to get her car, nodding to Hank as she passed in acknowledgement.

At ten to eleven she was waiting outside the tavern in question, bouncing on her toes and looking left and right to catch a glimpse of Maggie, eager to finally find out if their target was mere feet away inside the venue. A cab pulled up and disgorged Maggie, dressed in a very similar leather and jeans combo to Alex’s. As Maggie drew level with Alex she barely had a chance to ask, “Ready?” before Alex was leading the way into the bar past the one lonely looking bouncer. Raising her eyebrows Maggie shook her head and followed her inside, looking around to scan the layout. The door led to a bar area and the bar itself spanned the length of the left-hand side of the tavern. She could hear the band off to the right in a darkly lit, larger room through an archway. The sign for the toilets was straight on past the bar and a sign for the garden was also situated below it, she assumed that the end of the corridor led out to the back of the tavern. She looked to see where Alex had gone and found her standing at the bar, trying to get the attention of the server. She frowned slightly. It wasn’t like Alex to not case a place on first arrival, she seemed off her game. 

Alex took deep breaths as she waited to be served. Her heart rate had spiked as soon as she had entered the tavern and heard a keyboard, along with the other musicians in the band. Asking for two beers she paused before turning to Maggie, giving herself a moment to school her expression and put her professional, DEO agent exterior back in place. When she pivoted with a beer in each hand she found Maggie waiting at the side of the archway and handed her drink over. 

The music was louder here than at the bar, instead of trying to speak above it Maggie inclined her head towards the dance floor and raised an eyebrow in question. Alex nodded and followed her through the arch, turning left and finding a gap against the wall to lean against. Maggie immediately looked at the band and smiled in satisfaction. Alex assumed that was a good sign and forced herself to look to her right to the stage area. Focusing first on the lead singer in the centre of the stage, she could glimpse a stand and an electronic keyboard in her peripheral vison to her left. Letting out a deep breath, she turned her head fractionally. 

She was there. Same wavy, dark blonde hair. Same half smile on her face, bobbing her head in time with the bass while her hands slid up and down the keys. She was wearing a black vest with a blood red, long sleeve shirt over it, only a few buttons at the bottom done up. Just above the lip of the key board she could see what looked like black jeans. Alex’s vision flickered for a moment; she realised she hadn’t breathed in since she caught sight of her. The gasp she made sucking in a lungful of air brought Maggie’s focus over to her briefly. She leant in to get close to her ear and spoke loudly to overcome the noise, “We need to find a way to talk to her when they finish their set. I’ll talk to the groupies near the front to find out if they hang around afterwards or leave straight away, maybe you could talk to the barman or staff?” Alex nodded and walked straight back to the bar, glad to have a reason to stop staring at the woman before Maggie started questioning her. What would she be able to say? I saw a few photos of her and now I seem to be completely obsessed with a person I’ve never met? It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling it. She’d tried.

Alex called the barman over and leant forward to ask him when the set would finish and if the band members came to bar after. The bar man grinned, his freckled nose wrinkling, “Which band member in particular do you mean hun?” he asked.

“The woman playing key board, does she stay for a while?”

“Yeah, she likes to come and have a long drink after performing. No need to look so nervous either love, she’s always nice to groupies, although you might have a better chance with Grant, the lead singer if you know what I mean.”

He winked and walked away chuckling before Alex caught on to what he had assumed. Huffing to herself, she waited for Maggie to re-join her. When she did, she mentioned seeing a police buddy hanging around behind the dance floor at a table and waltzed off to sit with them. Alex had a strong suspicion it was a police buddy of the female variety and Maggie’s interest was more than strictly platonic. A few weeks ago, that would have bothered her. She was pleasantly surprised to find it no longer stung like it once did.

At quarter to midnight, she heard the vocalist tell the crowd that was definitely it, after having sung at least another two numbers beyond the last time they called the end. Stereo music starting piping out of the speakers around the bar, replacing the live band. Alex tensed, looking towards the archway, all her senses on high alert. She recognised a few of the band making their way through the arch, small groups of people hanging on their coat-tails, all trying to talk to them at them at once. Just behind the last group, she came through the door. Moving with feline grace she avoided the pile up in front of her and, swinging around to get a clear line of sight to the bar, she walked right up to where Alex was standing at the end of the bar; a mere arm’s length away. 

Alex stared at her profile. She could see her eyes were a mix of green and amber, almost striated. A silver Ankh nestled in the dip between her breasts, hanging from a black leather cord. Around her wrist, a thick black and silver metal bracelet hung loosely and a matching ring sat on her right ring finger. Like she was in a fugue, she felt her arm reach out in slow motion towards her. She was helpless to stop it. As the woman gave the bartender a smile and her order, Alex felt her hand alight on the skin of her forearm, just below the rolled-up cuff of her shirt. 

The woman jerked and straightened, as if an electric shock had shot through her. Her head snapped to the side to pierce Alex with her gaze and Alex dropped her grip like she had been burnt. For a few seconds, they stared at each other, lost for words. Then the woman smiled slightly and cocked her head to one side, “Hi,” she said. Alex continue to gape at her, words refusing to form. The pause lengthened until it had obviously become an awkward silence, the smile starting to slip from the woman’s face and her brow furrowing instead. Luckily, salvation came in the form of Maggie, who strutted up to Alex’s left side and thrust her hand at the stranger, “Hi, I’m Maggie. I guess Alex has already explained how urgent it is we talk to you, do you want to go out to the garden where it’s quieter?”

The woman slowly shook Maggie’s hand, her head tilting to the side to look back over at Alex. She now sported a crooked half grin and Alex was sure she was teasing her for her inability to articulate, or even introduce herself. She could feel herself start to overheat and hoped to God she wasn’t blushing. “Sure, just give me a sec,” the woman said, as she spun towards the bar where the barman was placing a tall glass filled with clear liquid and ice in front of her. She picked up the glass and gracefully drank the entire glass in one go, not a drop spilt. When she turned back, Maggie asked with a grin in her voice, “I hope that wasn’t vodka?!”.

“Might have been,” she winked at Maggie then turned towards the corridor leading to the garden, looking back over her shoulder at them as if to ask why they weren’t already following. Alex paused to sniff the glass when she was sure she wouldn’t be seen. Water. Alex smiled and hurried after the other two women.

The garden was quiet, only a few people scattered here and there thanks to the chilly breeze. The woman gave her name as Chance. Alex didn’t believe it was her real name for a second as it was listed as one of her aliases on the USB they’d gotten from Cadmus. Alex and Maggie stood facing the woman and explained who they were and that they believed the woman to be in danger. She crossed her arms in front of her and basically asked ‘so what?’ in a bored tone. Alex moved closer to her, noting that the woman was an inch or two taller than her, and said in a stern, no-nonsense tone, “So, we need to take you into protective custody for your own safety. You need to come with us.”

The woman dropped her arms and snorted in amusement. She was about to open her mouth to respond when a group of inebriated men brushed past, knocking into her. Alex and Maggie’s eyes followed the men as they moved towards the men’s toilets. A small sound drew their attention and they found the woman bent over at the waist, in obvious distress. Alex reached out to steady her and was amazed to see a tear slip down her check as she straightened. Confused, she asked, “Did they hurt you?”. The woman shook her head and started walking back towards the restrooms with a determined stride. When she reached the door, the man that had bumped into her was just exiting. In a two-hit move, nearly too fast to follow, the strange woman punched the man in the gut and kneed him in the head when he bent forwards. He slumped to the floor just as Alex and Maggie raced over to the scene and his two buddies came out of the toilet behind them. 

The two men immediately began to make a lot of noise; demanding to know what happened to their friend. Alex and Maggie were trying to calm the situation whilst the woman ignored all the commotion and began to rummage through the unconscious man’s pockets. Rising from her crouch with his wallet and driving license in her hands, she raised her voice, “This man assaulted an NCPD officer,” she paused and pointed at Maggie, miming showing a badge, which Maggie quickly pulled out and displayed, “He is going to be arrested and unless you want a trip to the jail right along with him for breaching the peace, I suggest you go away.” The two men quickly walked backwards towards the bar, hands out to show they were harmless and not about to start any trouble. Alex hissed at the woman, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You assaulted him without provocation!”

The woman looked at her for a second. Alex was taken aback at the pain she could so clearly see in her eyes and her anger evaporated. The woman turned to Maggie, “I can’t tell you how I know, but that man has left his elderly mother locked in a cold, damp basement at this home address,” she held his licence out to her and dropped the wallet, “he beat her tonight for asking him to not go out and leave her alone again, if she’s not found soon she may not recover.” Alex and Maggie stared at her for a beat. The barman and a man in a suit coming towards them distracted them and they spent a few minutes explaining themselves. By the time they turned around, the woman was gone. Maggie sighed in frustration. Alex turned towards her, asking with her expression ‘what the hell do we do now?’ Shrugging, Maggie pulled out her police radio and called in the suspected battery, asking them to get a unit to check it out asap.

Alex was laying on her bed, fully clothed, when the phone call came. Maggie told her it was all exactly as the woman had stated. The elderly lady had mild hypothermia and a fractured cheek bone as well as numerous bruises. Social services had been contacted. The man from the bar, her loving son, had been arrested and they were waiting for him to sober up before charging him. Alex hung up and stared, unseeing, at the ceiling for a while. Who the hell was this woman? What kind of powers could she have that would allow her to know about the man’s mother? Baffled, Alex gave up on trying to figure it out for now. Stripping her clothes, she checked the pockets before hanging her jacket up, retrieving her phone and keys. A small, rectangular card fell out and fluttered to the floor. Puzzled, she picked it up. It was a taxi service calling card, but she had never used that company before. Spinning the card over she noted something on the back. Written in a looping, flowing script were two things: A mobile phone number, and a name... Brooke. 

Alex smiled. She finally had a name to go with the face.


	7. Chapter 7

Winn and James were in the secret hide out at Catco. Winn was pacing up and down in excitement, babbling about upgrades to the Guardian suit he had dreamt up since James’ successful take down of a car thief last night, delivering him in a crumpled heap outside the NCPD precinct. 

“See? Starting smaller and working our way up is working, just like when we helped Kara. This time - a car thief, next time – an armed robbery. This is gonna be great. I think we should craft a new weapon for you. Maybe a laser gun? Ooh, no, a whip made from nickel enhanced steel. Flexible and nearly indestructible. Of course, you’ll have to practice a bit first…” Winn finally noticed the complete lack of response from James and turned to face him. James sat with his head bowed and his hands dangling between his knees. As Winn wound down and finally came to a stuttering halt, James looked up, his face a picture of misery, “Am I doing the right thing here, Winn?”

Startled, Winn paused in shock, his mouth dropping open, “What do you mean? Are you having second thoughts? This from the man that practically begged me to make him a suit and made me a part of the secret? Even when I argued against it from the beginning? It’s a bit late to regret this now dude, we’re in this up to our necks!”

“Secret,” James repeated, sighing, “that’s what I mean. We’re lying to them all. Lucy, Kara. All of them. How are we going to face them when they find out?” Winn sat down next to James on the couch and paused, considering his answer. “Then either stop, put the suit away and say goodbye to Guardian forever. Or tell them!”

“I don’t think I can stop Winn. I get it now. I get why Kara and Clarke put on those capes and sacrifice so much to be a hero. Being able to help, knowing you’re making a difference. It’s addictive. But this double life and the secrets that go along with it? It’s killing me thinking about the look on her face when I tell her. How did she tell us so easily?”

Winn bumped his shoulder, “because she trusted us dude.” James flinched, then slowly nodded, “tonight, I’ll find a way to tell them tonight, at games night. You’ll back me up, right?” he asked Winn, practically begging. Winn just raised his fist in answer, James laughed and raised his own to bump against his.

**********

Hank knocked on the door, saying ‘Dollywood’ when the hatch slid open. The door swung open and he entered the bar. He momentarily thought about talking to the doorman about poor security, seeing as how they hadn’t changed the password in months. He soon forgot about it when his mind went back to the report Maggie and Alex had given earlier about the screw up last night. He knows Alex is keeping something back from him; he can sense it swimming just under the surface. He had promised her he would never read her mind without permission though, so he was frustrated at having to wait for her to come clean in her own time. 

Alex felt very much like a daughter to him. But, like him, she tended to play her cards close to her chest. She rarely offered her deeper thoughts voluntarily and Hank had become adept at pushing her without her realising. Not this time though. He approached the de-brief from as many different angles as he could to try and tease it from her, but she stayed tight lipped. He wondered if it had to do with Maggie. If so, maybe it was best he didn’t know; there’s only so much a father figure should know about their daughter’s love life after all. He grimaced internally.

As he approached the bar he saw M’gann, she glanced at him cautiously. Yet another frustration; he couldn’t read her mind either. Not because of a promise this time, but because he couldn’t read another Green Martian’s mind without first partaking in the bond. It was considered the height of rudeness. M’gann was hiding something too though. He could feel that as clearly as he could feel that Winn was plotting something and Alex was hiding a secret. He sat down and offered her what he thought was a winning smile. He pledged to himself that if one of them didn’t spill soon, he would read all their minds, consequences be damned.

**********

Alex was sitting in her lab, staring at a name and number in her phone. The same one that she’d put into her phone the night before. She was trying to figure out why the tattooed lady, Brooke she supposed she should call her now, had given her contact info to her. In such a secretive manner as well. She was going around and around in circles trying to find a plausible explanation. Eventually, she sighed, grabbed her phone up and started tapping out a short message.

\- Why?

It only took a few seconds to get a response, making Alex think she had been waiting for her to make contact.

*This is Alex, I presume? Why what?

-Yes. Why did you give me your number? And your real name I presume? (Alex could play the formal game too…)

*You’re the one who came looking for me. I thought you must have wanted it. Was I wrong?

-You know what I meant. Why give the number only to me?

*Maybe I liked your smile.

Alex was stunned for a moment. Wow, that went from formal to informal all of a sudden. Then she thought about the accent she’d heard when she had been speaking to Brooke last night. She remembered thinking at the time that it sounded British. Maybe that’s just how British people came across? She played the previous night through her mind and realised she was pretty sure she hadn’t been smiling during any of it.

-I’m pretty sure I didn’t smile…

*Then maybe I was hoping I could make you smile?

Alex couldn’t help it, her lips started to twitch up and a smile began to appear… another text came in fast on the heels of the previous one…

*Did it work?

Alex was definitely smiling now. A warm feeling was spreading throughout her chest, even though she couldn’t have explained how a simple text could have caused it. Before she could think about it too deeply she sent off an impulsive request:

-Can we meet?

The texts had been coming through quite quickly, but now there was a pause. Alex starting kicking herself for pushing too hard as the seconds ticked torturously past. Just as she was about to send another text to negate the first in a desperate attempt to make everything ok again, she heard the chime indicating a response coming in. Hardly daring to breath, she looked down,

*Why haven’t you told anyone I gave you my details?

Well, that wasn’t what she’d been expecting.

-How do you know I haven’t?

*I know you’re not NCPD, but I’m sure whoever you work for could track my phone easily. Yet here I sit, free and un-pestered by people trying to convince me I need to be taken in… I did the math ;)

-You're right, I didn’t. And you haven’t answered my question.

*What are you doing tonight?

Alex felt a jolt of excitement, then exclaimed out loud, “Shit!” Tonight was games night with all the gang.

-I can’t, sorry. I would love to but I have a games night thing with my sister and friends.

As soon as she sent it Alex was face palming. Why did she have to give her that much information? And ‘I’d love to’? Aaargh! Another alert had her jerking her head back up, reaching out slowly to see what she had sent back.

*Sounds fun. Tomorrow then?

-When and where?

*I’ll let you know.

-Ok, I look forward to it.

Alex sat waiting, and waiting, but nothing else came through. Kara knocked on the door and Alex fumbled her phone away quickly, trying to appear nonchalant. She tried to pay attention to Kara’s recapping of the previous night’s charity event but she was struggling to stop her mind wandering to what might happen at tomorrow’s clandestine meeting. Her attention snapped back to Kara when she brought up the interactions between Joel and Lena again. She asked probing questions, gathering as much information as she could. She was going to do a little digging this afternoon and find out what Lena’s problem with him was. Kara eventually wound down. She looked at Alex intently for a second, “What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing’s wrong? Why do you think something’s wrong?”

“Alex, I’ve known you for half my life. I know when you’re preoccupied and worried about something. Is it that Maggie’s coming tonight?”

Relieved to see a way out, Alex pounced on it. Kara spent a wasted half an hour reassuring Alex that she was too good for Maggie and that if she upset Alex in anyway she’d have to answer to her. Alex found her protective streak endearing, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. Since the first text from Brooke it had been more like, Maggie who? Eventually Kara left, throwing more reassurances over her shoulder and reminding Alex she was on drinks duty. Alex headed out into the command centre, determined to dig up some dirt. She needed the distraction or she didn’t know how she would survive until tomorrow.

**********

She juggled the bags whilst she dug in her jacket pocket for the keys to the main door of Kara’s apartment block, nearly dropping the one holding the heavy bottles. A hand reached around her and grabbed it before it smashed all over the sidewalk. Maggie appeared to her left and gave her trade mark dimpled smile, “need a hand there Danvers?”

“Thanks, could you bring that up with you?”

“Sure.”

When they reached Kara’s front door, Alex knocked. Maggie gave her a quizzical look, “Why do you knock if you have keys to her place?” Alex rolled her eyes, “because it’s polite?” she said sarcastically. 

“Touché, Danvers.”

Kara swung the door open, her eyes opened wide when she saw the both of them standing there and a smile started to creep across her face. Alex just knew she was about to make an awkward moment ten times worse, “We met at the door, the door downstairs. She saved a bag.” Alex quit while she was ahead and pushed past a grinning Kara to dump the bags of booze and soft drinks on the kitchen counter. God, she really needed a whiskey. Maggie came up beside her, pulling said whiskey bottle from the bag she was carrying and held it up in a faux toast to her. Well, at least Maggie knew how to mix her drink just the way she liked it. 

Alex looked over to the sitting area and noticed Joel and Tanya were missing. She asked Kara where they were and Kara explained that Tanya had to babysit her niece and couldn’t get out of it as the plan for games night was such short notice, and Joel had an emergency at the charity. Alex was reminded of how little she had found out about him and Lena earlier. Oh, there was a lot of information about Lena online and in various databases but nothing pertaining to any links with Joel. And Joel himself seemed to have a suspiciously small online footprint. While she was there she had researched Brooke as well. She couldn’t help herself. But nothing came up under that name or any or her assumed aliases that they didn’t already know. She went and sat down next to James and Lucy who were already all over each other on the couch. It was going to be a long night.

Surprisingly, Kara and Maggie were the overall winners of the games; probably because Kara didn’t touch alcohol anymore, ever since the whole drunk Kara mess, and Maggie could hold her booze better than most. The rest of them had imbibed slightly too much to not feel it in the morning unless they were very lucky. Alex and Lucy came in second and Winn and James were relegated to last place. The night had been much more pleasant than Alex had anticipated. She and Maggie seemed to reach a new level of rapport and Alex felt mutual friendship was definitely on the cards again. The conversation had lulled until there was mostly a low murmuring every now and then. Alex was relaxed, holding what she had promised herself was her last whiskey of the night, daydreaming about meeting up with Brooke tomorrow. She wondered where she would pick and spent an enjoyable few minutes imagining various spots around the city. Then, James sat up and cleared his throat.

“So, as we’re all here, I have something I, we, need to tell you,” he paused, looking at Winn, who froze with his glass halfway to his lips, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Everyone else glanced lazily over to him, “it’s going to come as a shock. I’m not sure how you’ll all take it, but I can’t carry on lying anymore. Not to you guys.”

By now, everyone was looking at each other, seeing if anyone had a clue as to what James was talking about. Lucy looked positively scared and Alex wondered for a minute what she thought James might say that could put that look on her face.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you all straight away, but I was worried you would try to talk me out of it. That doesn’t matter anymore, I need to be honest.” He looked at Winn one more time, Winn hadn’t moved a muscle since James started talking, but now they noticed him give an imperceptible nod. So, Winn knew but no-one else?

“I’m Guardian.”

You could have heard a pin drop. Then Kara started snorting with laughter, “Good one, you nearly had me there…” her chuckles slowed as she realised James’ face was as solemn as she’d ever seen it. Lucy cleared her throat and shook herself, as if shaking off a shiver down her spine, “Well, thank God for that, I thought you were going to tell me you were gay!” Maggie gave her a dirty look and Lucy hurried to tell her it would have bothered her because he had hidden it from her, not because he was gay.

“You… why would you? You lied to me? For months?” Kara’s voice cracked and her face crumpled. Alex’s torpor was shattered and she started to move, she had never been able to resist reaching out to a Kara in pain and so she automatically reached out now to take her hand. Before she could connect, Kara jumped up out of her chair, towering over James still sitting down. He couldn’t bear to look at her, mumbling ‘I’m so sorry’ over and over again. She turned to look at Winn, “And you knew? Rao, you helped him, didn’t you? That damn suit that you think is so cool!” James looked up when he heard Kara curse, she never cursed. He rose to his feet and held his arms out to Kara, beseeching her to listen, “Kara, please…”

“I can’t…. I just can’t right now.” One moment Kara was there, the next she was gone, the curtains flapping in the wind from the open balcony door. Everyone started speaking at once, accusations flying and questions being fired at both men rapidly. When it had all calmed down, Alex came and sat near James, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He looked so wretched. 

“Will she ever forgive me?”

“James, it’s Kara. When has she ever stayed mad at anyone for long?” He gave a half-hearted chuckle. “I guess she’s feeling a little betrayed right now. She trusted you with her biggest secret and now she feels you couldn’t return that trust.”

“It wasn’t about trust, Alex. I knew she’d wouldn’t go for the idea of me wearing a suit and going out there, doing what she does. I didn’t want to have to argue with her about it.”

“You idiot,” chimed in Lucy, “you didn’t want to hear her argue with you because you knew she’d be right. That traipsing around the city in some ridiculous suit, putting yourself in harm’s way in front of bullets and who knows what else, was a monumentally stupid idea. And don’t think I’ve forgotten your complicity in all this Schott Jr.,” she added, glaring at Winn. “Come on Guardian, we’re going home so I can continue having a go at you in private.”

Win and Maggie followed them out, and just like that, the night was over. Alex busied herself tidying up; cleaning dishes and generally pottering around. She was determined to wait for Kara to check she was ok, but she wasn’t sure how long she’d stay out. She’d looked devastated when she flew away. Collapsing back on the sofa with a warm herbal tea, she finally took the time to process her own muddled thoughts. Funnily enough, it wasn’t Winn or James she was still stressing at. It was what Lucy had said. Her reaction and Maggie’s knee jerk reaction were understandable. She had tried to explain to let Maggie know she wasn’t homophobic, that it was the thought of losing James in a way she couldn’t fight for him that had scared her. For her though, the words that were going around in her head were the later ones she uttered, ‘I thought he had hidden it from me for years’. 

Is that what she had been doing? Lying to herself and everyone else for years about who she was? What about the men she had dated, had she led them on, lying to them the whole time? Alex valued honesty and truth. She was aware those two things could hurt people’s feeling at times, so she wasn’t as verbose regarding her thoughts as she could have been. She continued her self-searching for a while, concluding that she had not deliberately lied to anyone. Perhaps denial may have been a better description. Vowing to herself to be honest with her friends and family, she realised this meant she would have to finally come out to her Mom, which she had been putting off for months. Sighing, she reached over to switch on the table lamp to push back the darkening shadows as the night got later. The light flickered on and bathed the room in a rosy glow, also illuminating a figure that stood near the far wall near the window. 

Once the adrenaline rush wore off, Alex realised it was Kara. She felt her heart clench when she saw her red rimmed eyes. For Kara to still show signs of weeping like this she must have cried hard and long. All Alex wanted to do right now was comfort her so she opened her arms and smiled a sad little smile, hoping Kara would take the comfort offered. Kara’s shoulders shuddered and a tiny sob escaped her. Within one second she launched herself into her sister’s arms and they collapsed on the sofa, Kara half draped across Alex’s lap. When she finally put Kara to bed they talked about James briefly. Alex tried to get Kara to realise he hadn’t broken her trust, he just knew they would all deny him his chance to be a hero, and that if he truly wanted to go out there they were better off supporting him to make sure he didn’t get hurt. Kara seemed to be listening and nodded agreement, but the drawn sadness on her face was still there when Alex turned off the lights and curled up next to her, stroking her back and soothing her to sleep.

**********

Alex was on a household chores mission on Sunday morning. She’d gotten back from Kara’s early. Kara had said she wanted time alone and that she might paint for a while. Alex had let her be after extracting a promise from her to ring her whenever she wanted to talk. Now she had a shining spotless home, it was eleven o’clock, and her phone was still silent. Hank had rung earlier to check in and she had heard the phone ring from the bathroom; sending her scrambling madly to remove the rubber gloves, throwing the sponge across the room and leaping over the bucket of bleach. When she saw who it was, she was unusually terse with him. She’d make it up to him by bringing him a pack of Oreos later. She now found herself checking the phones battery every five seconds (still fully charged, obviously, as it was plugged in), flipping the mute button on and off to make sure it would ring and picking it up and glaring at the screen. It was one of those latter times when it finally rung. Alex was so startled she nearly dropped it, “Hi!”

“Hi yourself,” she could hear the smile in Brooke’s voice, “So, you still up for meeting?”

“Uh huh,” said Alex, eloquently.

“Great, do you know Noonan’s?” Alex chuckled slightly, “Noonan’s not good for you?”

“Oh no. It’s fine, perfect. It’s just that’s a favourite place for my friends and I to hang out,” Alex hastened to reassure her.

“Great,” she said again, “Midday ok?”

“Yeah, midday sounds great,”

She could hear Brooke now chuckling over the phone, “See you soon Alex.”

Alex looked at her watch, it was just past eleven. Oh my God, what was she going to wear?  
**********

Alex pushed open the door to Noonan’s, pausing to hold it ajar for a lady with a buggy. It was ten to twelve. She’d tried to wait, really she had. She looked around the coffee shop, not spotting Brooke yet and got in line to order her coffee. A couple of minutes later she felt a presence at her back, it felt warm and oddly comforting. She steadied her breathing and slowly turned. Looking up slightly her eyes met Brooke’s. Her heart rate immediately picked up. Swallowing, she opened her mouth, “Hi!” Well, at least it seems she could speak this time, too soon to tell if she could remain coherent yet. Brooke smiled, a smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes and showed faint crow’s feet, making Alex think she was maybe mid-thirties instead of the early thirties she had originally guessed. “Hi yourself.” Both chuckled quietly. Then Brooke leant in, resting her hand on Alex’s lower arm, brushing her lips gently against the skin of her cheek. Alex’s heart missed a beat. When Brooke pulled back and got a glimpse of Alex’s stunned expression, she seemed embarrassed and avoided eye contact; making a big fuss about Alex getting a seat, that she would get the drinks as she had invited her after all.

Alex walked over to a corner booth at the back in a daze. As she sat and watched Brooke at the counter, she realised she had made Brooke feel her contact was unwanted. That was so far from the truth it was laughable. When Brooke’s lips had touched her cheek, she had felt it right down to her core. She had been stunned at how fiercely her body had reacted to such an innocent touch. By the time Brooke brought over the drinks and slid into the booth opposite her, Alex had control of her faculties again, mostly. She could see that Brooke now seemed uncertain around her and ached to make it right again. She stared at Brooke’s hands around her cup, Alex noted how large they were compared to hers. Perfectly in proportion, they looked strong, work-worn but capable of gentleness as well. Without thinking, Alex reached out and placed her hand over Brooke’s right hand. Cupping it as it cupped her drink. Brooke’s eyes closed fractionally and her whole body seemed to relax a little, as if the strings holding it up had been loosened. Alex hadn’t paid attention before, but now she realised Brooke always had an air of tension around her, a tightness around the eyes, a wariness in her stance. That seemed to have dissipated now and when Brooke looked up and gave her a wide smile, Alex relaxed as well and reached for her own cup. She thought she heard a sigh of disappointment come from the other side of the booth when she released Brooke’s hand. Wishful thinking, she chided herself.

Brooke started the conversation, easy questions and answers, getting to know each other. They both liked rock and roll and both hated offal of any kind. Brooke’s favourite colour was purple, Alex’s black, obviously. Brooke had many hobbies: music, art, writing. When she asked Alex about her hobbies she muddled over it, not wanting to admit all she had time for was work and what felt like more work lately. It seemed so easy to talk to her. Alex knew she should be pumping her for information and finding out what or who she was. She just couldn’t bring herself to destroy the mood yet though. Brooke seemed to notice something was wrong, she changed directions fast enough to give Alex whiplash, “Who do you work for Alex?”

“What?”

“I know it’s not the NCPD, don’t try to persuade me it is.”

Alex felt trapped, she slowly pulled her badge from her pocket, holding it just below the lip of the table to switch it to her FBI persona. She hesitantly brought it up over the table and showed it to her. Brooke glanced at it briefly and her face went carefully blank. Alex had gotten used to how open with her expressions Brooke was, this stone coldness felt like a slap in the face.

“Strike two Alex, one more chance and then I’m in the wind. I trusted you with my real name and contact number. The ball’s in your court Alex.”

Alex stared at her, her mouth going dry. She knew she meant gone as in gone from the city this time. If she told her she was DEO, Hank would kill her. She couldn’t face losing her this soon though, not when they had only just met. She licked her lips, thinking rapidly. Brooke sat calmly, not pushing or speaking. Just watching her. Alex took a moment to really study her. She was watching her with her arms folded on the table, leaning slightly towards her. Her lips showed a hint of a gentle, kind smile and her eyes! Her eyes are what decided it for Alex. She could see understanding, empathy, compassion and more in those green and brown orbs. She lowered her voice and told her about the DEO, that they had found credible threats against her life, how they found them and gave her a run-down of the atrocities Cadmus had committed in the name of science. Throughout the monologue Brooke sat quietly, taking it all in. The smile never slipping from her face. When Alex wound down, Brooke reached across the table and held her hand.

“Thank you, Alex.” She said warmly, “I understand the secrecy required in an organisation such as the DEO, I will never take your trust for granted.”

“Do you see now why you have to come in? We can protect you!”

“Alex, I can take care of myself, trust me.”

Alex was so frustrated she didn’t know what to do. She felt helpless. It felt like she would have lost her if she hadn’t told her, but now she might lose her anyway to Cadmus because she was too damn stubborn to admit she needed their help. 

“Alex?” turning her head to the left she saw Kara standing there with her bag over her shoulder, pushing her glasses up on her face, staring open mouthed at Brooke. Shit.

It seemed like her training and awareness of her surroundings went out of the window whenever she was around Brooke. Not good. Her mouth opened and closed, no sound emerging. She was in big trouble here. Kara had seen the case files and pictures of Brooke. She would know she was the woman they had been looking for and here she was, having coffee with just Alex, in Noonan’s of all places. Brooke took in the tableau before her and stood, reaching out a hand to shake Kara’s, moving over into the seat near the wall and inviting her to sit. Which she did, flopping down onto the seat like her legs had given out. Alex could barely make eye contact with her. Brooke looked between them enquiringly, “So, whose your friend Alex?” asked Brooke. 

“Yes Alex,” reiterated Kara, her tone clipped, “whose your friend?”

Alex took a deep breath, “Kara, this is Brooke, we just met today, well, Friday. But properly for the first time today. Brooke, this is Kara, my sister.” Alex realised she hadn’t asked if she could give Brooke’s real name and worried for a second. Then she saw Brooke turn and give Kara a huge beaming smile, asking rapid fire questions all about her. She could see Kara responding to the bucket loads of charm Brooke poured over her, she felt the tug of jealousy pull at her guts and tried to stamp it down fast.

Brooke eventually said she had to go. Alex’s heart dropped. Kara moved out of the way and she gracefully slid from the booth, waiting for Kara to reseat herself and offering her hand for a goodbye hand shake. Then she turned to her side of the table. Alex took her hand when she reached out, expecting a handshake. Instead, Brooke gently turned her hand over and lightly kissed the back of it. Dropping her hand, she said, “Don’t worry Alex, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon,” then winked and sauntered away.

Alex stared after her for a while, feeling Kara’s gaze bore into the side of her head. She eventually turned to face the music and instead found Kara grinning and bobbing up and down. What the hell?

“Kara, I can explain, she trusted me with her name and number and I thought if I could take that and run with it, she would trust us enough to help her. I wasn’t intentionally keeping it a secret or anything,” internally she begged forgiveness for the white lie.

Kara waved her hand in front of her face as if dismissing Alex’s hurried explanation, “Alex it’s fine, you know what you’re doing. She’s amazing, isn’t she? I could talk to her for hours. Could you?” Alex gaped at Kara open mouthed. 

“What? You do know she’s the woman we’ve been looking for, don’t you?” she questioned.

“Of course. I heard her say she’d take care of herself, I’m worried about her Alex. You need to try and gain more trust with her so she’ll let us protect her. Seems like she’d be happy to meet up with you again,” Kara dropped her voice and leaned in, a coy smile on her face, “maybe she’ll even kiss more than your hand next time!”

“Kara!”

“Oh come on Alex, you must have noticed she was totally in to you. Even you aren’t that oblivious!”

The conversation degenerated after that into the kind of sister’s banter where they try to embarrass each other and one up each other. In the back of Alex’s mind though, she wondered. Was Brooke really in to her that way? Does she want her to be? After giving it a bit more thought, Alex thought the answer to the second question was a resounding yes.

**********

Later that night she was lying in bed, reliving meeting Brooke for the umpteenth time, when her phone rang. It was vibrating across the night stand. Alex watched it for a second, trying to push down the hope that it would be her, not wanting to feel disappointed if it wasn’t. God, this was ridiculous, she felt like a teenager with a crush. She snatched up the phone, determinedly not looking at the screen and answered with her usual, “Danvers.”

“Hi Alex.” 

Alex froze, leaning precariously halfway out of the bed, “Brooke? Hi!”

“I know it’s late, sorry. It’s just, I was thinking, you want me to come into the DEO, I want to spend more time with you. Seems like there’s a solution here, no?”

“What are you saying Brooke?” Alex was on tenterhooks, hoping against hope that meant what she thought it meant.

“I’m saying, if you want me, you got me. Tell me where to meet you and I’ll be there tomorrow morning,” she hesitated, “late morning,” she amended.

A huge smile spread across Alex’s face, trying to rein it in so it didn’t show in her voice. She gave Brooke directions to the base of the DEO building, where an FBI centre mock-up covered up the real purpose of the building in the middle of the city centre. She told Brooke someone could come and get her from there. When Brooke asked why she had to wait, Alex explained the lifts wouldn’t operate for non-approved personnel and only those in the top of the building could access them. Brooke agreed to do as Alex asked then carried on chatting as if they were two friends having a gossip. Alex loved every minute of it. As the conversation came to a close, Alex couldn’t help but ask, “Brooke? What changed your mind?”

Silence. Alex counted five heartbeats before Brooke said softly, “You did, Alex. You trusted me. Good night, sleep well.”

**********

Alex had spent the last two and a half hours being lectured by Hank. She got it. Her Dad had been the same when she had been two hours late coming home from the beach when she was thirteen. Practically shaking her whilst shouting at her to ‘never do it again’. Hank thought of her as a daughter, she knew he did, and his anger had been routed in fear. He was concerned for her safety. So, she stoically bore the scolding. 

When the clock showed nearly eleven, everyone was gathered in the command centre; waiting for a call from security. Kara was in her Supergirl outfit, standing as far away from Winn as she could whilst still being considered with them. Alex felt bad for Winn. He was obviously upset at being avoided by his best friend, but they didn’t have time to try and smooth that over right now. Hank was calmly reading through a report at the large circular table, Alex was losing a game of ‘I spy’ horribly to Kara on account of not being able to concentrate. Or think. Or even breath normally. Suddenly Vasquez spun her chair around, “We’ve got incoming. A flyer on a straight line to us, only just showed on radar, it’s close!”

Activity suddenly filled the room and Kara started towards the sliding door, ready to intercept. Alex gasped out loud when Brooke suddenly dropped out of the sky, landing in a three-point stance, then straightening slowly to look through the glass at them all. Nobody moved a muscle, trying to take in the extraordinary sight in front of them. From over Brooke’s shoulders, a pair of huge golden wings expanded, the span of each at least six feet wide. As they watched, they folded together. The tips just touching the floor and the curved elbow of the wings jutting up a few inches above her shoulders. 

An astonished smile spread across Kara’s face. She shuffled closer to Alex and whispered, “Alex, she’s an angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter due up tomorrow and I'll probably be changing the rating to M then for adult themes. Don't get too excited, no sex yet... but it's getting there ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the rating has finally changed. Purely for some friskiness and curse words though, don't get too excited. Save that for later chapters ;)
> 
> Enjoy...

Security opened the door and Brooke walked into the DEO slowly. At the top of the stairs she paused and looked at Alex, “Surprise…” she said sadly. A slight grimace crossed her face for a second, as if she was in pain. Her wings seemed to collapse in on themselves and within seconds they were gone. As Brooke moved forward onto the top step, a slight rustle of movement all around the room indicated most of the agents had just moved to rest their hands on the stock of their guns. Brooke froze and held her hands up, palms out. Kara went to move towards her, Hank stepped forward, blocking her path and making it clear he didn’t want her any closer to Brooke.

“That was quite the entrance, Ms.?”

“Knight, with a K. But Brooke’s fine.”

“Ms. Knight. You will need to be searched before we allow you any further into this facility. Any sudden movements may be interpreted as a hostile act and you will be met with extreme force. Are we clear?”

Brooke acknowledged Hank’s order and waited patiently at the top of the stairs, her slight smile still firmly in place. Hank nodded towards Alex then over at Brooke, eyes wide she stared back at him for a second. Oh, please God no, do not make her frisk search Brooke. She had no idea how she would control her reactions if she had to place her hands on her right now. Hank just held eye contact and nodded his head more firmly towards Brooke again. Her palms were clammy and she gulped as she walked up the stairs, not daring to look up at her yet. She went behind her first, drawing out the moment she’d have to face her, “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You think I mind you frisking me, Alex? Quite the opposite I assure you. Please, carry on,” Alex could hear the smirk in her voice and over Brooke’s left shoulder she could see Kara had heard the exchange, she was practically splitting her face with the grin she was currently wearing. 

Alex took a deep breath and decided to start at the bottom and work her way up. Running her fingers around the rims of her boots, gradually working her way up her calves. Her hands slid over the backs of her knees to her thighs. As she stood, she closed her eyes and begged any deity listening for strength as her hands rose even higher to run over her backside. Fuck. That felt good. She had to call on all her willpower not to squeeze. She could have sworn she heard Brooke’s breath hitch slightly at that point and her touch became more confident. Higher still, her thumbs ran up her spine whilst her fingers splayed out around her ribs, until she palmed her shoulders. She noticed two ragged tears in her vest top. It took Alex a moment to realise the placement of the tears corresponded to where she assumed her wings would emerge. She couldn’t stall any longer, bracing herself, she stepped around Brooke.

Moving to stand directly in front of her she met her gaze, blushing fiercely. Time stood still for a second. She saw Brooke swallow, hard, and it was her turn to smirk. Brooke gave a sheepish grin back, “Better be thorough, Agent Danvers” she said with a wink. Still smiling, Alex crouched down and repeated the process again. When she got to the front of her thighs she stood so she could see her face. As her hands rose higher and pushed against the front pockets of her jeans, she not only heard the gasp, she saw it. Feeling something in her front right pocket, she slowly slid her hand inside, using the opportunity to push the back of her knuckles against her. She pulled a phone and wallet out, equally slowly. Her eyes fell to Brooke’s chest, where she could see her breathing had become more laboured and erratic. She knew the feeling. Pocketing the phone and wallet, she continued from where she left off.

As her fingers wrapped around Brooke’s hips she bit her lip, the urge to pull and bring them closer together was nearly overwhelming. She struggled to keep from hyperventilating as she got closer to her breasts. Looking up, she noticed that Brooke had closed her eyes and was practically chewing her bottom lip off. Emboldened, she ran her hand around the edges of her bra, pressing slightly harder than needed. She was rewarded with a small squeak of sound, barely heard. Smiling again, she finished by running her hands through Brooke’s hair, luxuriating in its silky tresses for a few beats longer than necessary, eliciting another small noise from between Brooke’s lips. Definitely a moan that time, not a squeak, she decided.

Now that she’d finished, she realised that everyone in the DEO would have just watched that subtle dance of seduction, there was no way it could have been interpreted as a normal frisk search. Hoping for the best she met Brooke’s eyes one more time, noting her pupils were slightly dilated, then turned back to face the room. No one seemed to have an odd expression on their face. Alex deduced nothing out of the ordinary had been observed, except maybe for Kara who was practically levitating on the spot. Back to business, she approached Hank and handed over the items she had confiscated. As Brooke walked down the stairs into the main area, Alex noticed she opened her mouth slightly, it looked like she was taking a really deep breath. Brooke looked sharply at Kara to her left before returning her gaze forwards, worrying Alex for a moment. Then Brooke smiled her favourite smile at her and she forgot about the oddness. Hank approached and introduced the team. Within minutes they were heading to a secure conference room.

Hank sat at one end of the oval conference table, Brooke at the other end. Supergirl sat to one side and Alex opposite her. Winn was behind Hank, recording and monitoring the interrogation. 

“So Ms. Knight, we have seen you have wings and from the report last Friday we’ve discovered that you are, like me, a mind reader. What are you and what other powers do you have that put you in Cadmus’ sights?” Hank started out on the offensive, looking stern and staring straight at Brooke to be able to detect any body language cues she might give away.

Brooke lent back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other and clasping her hands comfortably in her lap. She looked remarkably relaxed. “If you are going to start out by making assumptions, then I don’t see why I should tell you anything,” she responded.

Kara couldn’t contain herself, “but you are an angel, right?”

Brooke grimaced, distaste evident on her face, “I am very far from being in anyway angelic Supergirl, believe me. As to what exactly I am, the woman who cursed me with this didn’t actually say what she was before ruining my life, so I can’t tell you that either.”

“Woman?” asked Hank.

“Curse?” asked Alex.

Hank lent back himself and re-evaluated, “Why don’t you tell us as much of your story as you feel comfortable with, Ms. Knight? We’ll save our questions until after.”

Brooke took a breath and began her origin story, beginning with the night her life changed forever. She had jumped in to save what she thought was an elderly lady from being mugged down a side street, in London, England. During the altercation, Brooke was stabbed fatally in the gut, she was bleeding out and she knew it. In her despair at dying, she didn’t see what happened to the man, but the next thing she knew the old lady was looking into her eyes and cradling her in her arms. She told her she was sorry this had happened to her, that her actions had been heroic. She went on to explain that she couldn’t bear to carry on seeing innocents suffer because of the evil that had been set upon the world. That she had grown weary of her role and it was time to pass it on. 

“She told me she was giving me a gift and that I would wield it well,” Brooke laughed, but it was the saddest sound Alex had ever heard. Brooke continued, “she leant down to me and closed her lips around mine. I thought she was trying to give me CPR. But, then she started blowing, exhaling something that was so bright, even seen through our skin, that I had to close my eyes. I can’t even explain to you what it was she transferred into me. I felt filled with energy, the pain in my gut went away and I felt rejuvenated. When she let go, she rolled backwards and just lay there. I searched for a pulse, but she was gone. I called the police and after hours of questioning they released me. Her death was ruled man-slaughter; they thought she’d had a heart attack through fear of being mugged. They couldn’t find any records of her so she died a Jane Doe. It was months later when I realised what she had turned me into.”

All four of them were captivated by her story of how she could sense evil and wrongdoing. How it ruined her relationships because she was constantly trying to hide what she was now capable of. Alex and Kara exchanged a sad smile, they could empathise. How a particularly nasty Demon (they all still struggled to believe that bit was real, they thought maybe it was a hostile alien instead) became determined to kill her and wiped out everyone she held dear to her. At this point, Kara reached over and held Brooke’s hand. This hit home harder for her than anyone else. She, too, had lost everyone when Krypton exploded. 

Tears were trickling down Brooke’s face as she continued to explain how she met a man called Constantine who explained this other world to her. Helped her become more adept at defending herself and protecting others. She met others along the way, people she considered to be real heroes, like a man that called himself ‘The Arrow’. Kara’s eyes opened wide and she was about to interrupt when Alex kicked her. It could wait.

When she finished, she looked up at Hank, “You said you’re a mind reader?” He nodded. “Read my mind then. I know it’s an incredible story that’s hard to believe. These three trust you. If you see into my mind and see the truth, you can reassure them.”

“Director Henshaw…” Winn started to say. Hank put up a hand to quieten him, never taking his eyes from Brooke. He came around the table and stood next to her. Brooke slowly rose to meet him. He placed his hands either side of her head, “Are you sure?” he checked. Brooke nodded, “we need to trust each other, this is the quickest way. I wouldn’t go too far back though, my childhood isn’t pretty either,” she quipped. Hank nodded solemnly and closed his eyes. A moment later Brooke stiffened and her eyes closed too.

The other three sat staring at the pair, watching them commune for a long time. They were flabbergasted to see a tear escape from under Hank’s closed eyelid. Alex went to stand, worrying that Hank was in pain, but his eyes opened slowly. He cleared his throat and whispered something to Brooke. She smiled lopsidedly, grasping Hanks arms and squeezing. Hank went back to his chair, looking down at his hands for a moment. Alex looked back at Brooke to find her smiling softly at her. 

“She told us the truth. It happened exactly as she said it did,” then he looked up and added, “but she missed a bit. She’s from a parallel universe, same as the Flash. I recognised the city limits sign for Starling City in her memories,” to Brooke he said, “The Flash is from the same universe as you, but he wasn’t the flash yet when you were there. He came here by accident. While he was here we talked about differences in his universe. One of those is that Starling City is now Star City, where Green Arrow is from. It doesn’t exist in this universe.” Brooke interrupted to explain how she had tried to find the city to find him, but came here instead when she couldn’t find it anywhere in America.

“I knew it,” exclaimed Kara.

“So how did you get here?” asked Winn, confused.

“She was dragged to this dimension by the beast that killed her kin. Constantine had tried to open a portal to banish it. Something went wrong and both the beast and Brooke ended up here instead when it grabbed onto her. She killed it and then fled from the army, who were congregating at the site of the dimension breach. She’s been in hiding ever since”

 

Alex looked at Brooke, “how long?” She asked. “I was changed eight years ago. I’ve been in this universe for around five years in total, give or take. About two and half years of those in National City” replied Brooke, knowing exactly what she was asking.

“So,” said Hank, “Obviously, you can fly. You’re a touch empath, you’re impervious to being killed by pretty much everything it seems, and you have greater strength and speed than the average human, but probably not as fast or strong as Supergirl here.”

Brooke shrugged, “I’ve never been hit with a nuclear bomb or cut into little pieces and barbecued so I don’t know. The research I’ve done and the fights I’ve been in indicate I can’t be killed by man-made weapons like bullets or lasers, or man-made materials like whips or chains. Natural and organic hazards, such as drowning or poison, don’t seem to do anything either. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m impervious though. I can get hurt. I bleed and get sick if I ingest something that’s toxic. Also, technology is advancing at a rapid rate now, so who’s to say if a new invention might not kill me? And I’d have to go one on one with Supergirl to determine that last one” she winked at Kara.

Alex was stuck on one thing, “Touch empath? What does that mean, exactly?” Brooke turned towards her, a worried look on her face. She started to speak a couple of times, then stuttered into silence. Hank frowned and took over, “She can read people’s emotions when she touches them. Negative emotions such as hate and fear she may not even need to touch them to sense them, although physical contact helps pick them up more clearly. The stronger the emotion the more information she gets, sometimes even with images.”

Alex thought that over for a while. Then remembered what she had been thinking and feeling when she touched Brooke in the bar, at Noonan’s and especially earlier, during the frisk search. A blush consumed her face and even the tips of her ears went red, she was mortified. Gathering her note-book she gave an excuse of needing an urgent lab report and left as fast as she could whilst still maintaining some professionalism. 

**********

Alex took refuge in a stock room, using the one she knew a bulb was out in for the added bonus of not many people frequenting it. She started aimlessly moving things around, trying to keep busy; her thoughts were racing so fast she felt she might pass out. She felt like such an idiot. From the first moment she touched her, Brooke would have known she was crushing on her like a teenager. She has never felt so embarrassed in her life, not even when Maggie pulled away from her the night she first kissed her. A noise at the door makes her back stiffen. Please, please, don’t let it be Brooke. She knows that’s a pointless plea, of course it will be Brooke, her luck’s just that bad. 

“Alex,” she hears Brooke speak quietly from behind her, “you don't remember the first time we met, but I do, and if you could have felt then what I feel for you? You wouldn't be embarrassed now; you'd be as relieved as I am that there's a possibility of hope.”

Alex slowly turned to face her. Brooke’s face was slightly in shadow where she stood in the doorway, the glow from the corridor creating a halo around her outline. A light bulb went off in her head, “You're not referring to last Friday, are you?” she asked.

“No. There's a reason I picked Noonan’s, Alex.”

Alex’s eyes widened in realisation, “I met you there before, when?”

“Around two years ago. I was in front of you in the queue. I didn't have enough money to pay for my drink and I was really embarrassed. You were so sweet; you gave me some of your change. As you placed the coins in my hand, your fingers touched my palm, and I felt you Alex”

Alex wracked her brain, trying to tease the memory out, but she couldn’t. She felt awful, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember. Did you speak to me?”

“No. I would have been too humiliated. I’d only been in the city a few months and didn’t have the contacts then that I have now, that make living life under the radar easier. I was living in a squat, I had nothing. Next to you, I felt unworthy. How could I have spoken to you? I was too poor, too old, too dirty…”

Alex interrupts her list of shortcomings, “too old? You can't be more than seven or eight years older than me!”

Brooke rolled her eyes, “Can we maybe delve into that can of worms another time?” Alex smiled and nodded, “As I was saying; I was dirt poor and in hiding. I didn’t know places like the DEO existed then. I had nothing to offer you Alex. I couldn’t even afford my own drink for God’s sake, let alone take you for dinner or anything. I never looked for you again because it would have been like torture.”

Alex reared back at that, “What? Why torture?”

“Because I wanted something I thought I could never have. Do you remember how I reacted when you first touched my arm on Friday?”

“Yes, you jolted like I'd shocked you. Oh God, does it hurt when I touch you?” Alex was horrified at the thought that she’d unwittingly caused Brooke pain.

Brooke chuckled, “No, quite the opposite. I was shocked, but not because you hurt me. Because I thought I'd never get to feel like that again.”

“Feel like what?”

“At peace. Alex, I can sense emotions nearly all the time. A lot of them aren't pleasant. Humanity has such capacity for kindness and joy. It also has the capacity for great evil, and even the best of us can have a bad day. But, when you touch me? It's like the world goes away.”

Alex thought back to what she had observed in the coffee shop. She remembered thinking that Brooke held tension inside that showed in her eyes, and in her posture. Then she remembered that when she held her hand, she had relaxed, as if something heavy and burdensome had drained away. Brooke waited patiently, watching the expressions passing over Alex’s face carefully, obviously looking for a clue as to how she felt about all the revelations she had disclosed. Alex moved slightly closer to Brooke so she could see her eyes and face clearly.

“I feel like you have an advantage over me. You already know exactly how I feel, but I can't sense how you feel about me.” Alex tentatively offered.

Brooke closed more of the distance between them, “You’re a highly trained DEO operative Alex. I’ll bet you’ve been trained to interpret and read body language cues. What has mine been telling you?”

She thinks back to every touch, every sigh, every gasp. She raises her eyes and looks intently into Brooke’s. Brooke just stands there, quietly, not moving or pressuring her. In her gaze, she sees acceptance and caring, as well as something deeper that she can’t quite place yet. She gives in to her need to touch and reaches out to cup Brooke’s face. Watching Brooke’s eyes flutter shut, she has a flashback to the moment she kissed Maggie. This feels like she’s on that same precipice, ready to fall or fly. Suddenly, she is terrified of being rejected. She can’t go through that again, not this soon.

Brooke opens her eyes. Holding eye contact, she whispers, “I couldn't pull away from you right now if I tried, Alex. I’m yours, if you want me. It’s your choice.”

Alex realised she was touching her still and Brooke could sense everything she just felt. She was reassuring her that she wouldn’t reject her. She feels a weight lift that she hadn’t known was there. No more confusion. No more doubt. She feels safe with Brooke. Placing her other hand on Brooke’s hip, she pulls her closer and tilts her head. Keeping her eyes open until the last possible moment so she doesn’t miss any of it, her lips finally connect to Brooke’s. 

It feels like coming home. 

Brooke reaches out and holds onto Alex’s shoulders, angling her head more, gently moving her lips against Alex’s. She can’t help letting out a gasp, and when Brooke’s hands tighten on her shoulders and she draws her bottom lip into her mouth slightly in response, she’s glad she didn’t. Alex escalates the kiss by pressing the tip of her tongue between Brooke’s lips. She has never felt this turned on from such a chaste kiss before. She needs more. Any sense of decorum goes out of the window, she demands Brooke open for her and Brooke gives way immediately, inviting her in with the most erotic moan Alex has ever heard; her core clenching as soon as she hears it. She drops her hand from Brooke’s face and uses both hands to grip her tightly around her waist, steadying herself more than keeping Brooke in place.

Every move they make together seems perfect, no clashing teeth or noses, just pure sensuality in every brush of tongue against tongue, every nip of teeth on a kiss swollen lip. Their movements become more and more frantic and forceful, the sound of harsh breathing filling the small store room. Brooke’s hands start to wander up and down Alex’s back. As her nails scrape along Alex’s spine it drives Alex even closer to losing control and she moves her own hands further around Brookes hips, dropping them slightly over the delicious swell of her ass, squeezing rhythmically. Brooke throws her head back, gasping, “Jesus Alex, you’re trying to kill me.” 

Coming together again, resting their foreheads against each other, they both take deep, calming breaths. Eventually, Alex pulls away slightly. She traces the planes of Brooke’s face in wonderment, “I think some part of me must know you from that day two years ago. I can’t fathom feeling like this after just three days otherwise. And to think, I only just came out six months ago…” Alex stopped speaking immediately, fearfully looking at Brooke to see if she reacts to her relative inexperience the same way as Maggie did. Brooke barks out a laugh, “Alex, I couldn’t give a toss how you identify, as long as you keep kissing me like that.” She leans in to steal another and Alex falls into her again. It seems impossible for them to share an innocent kiss now that they know how good it can feel.

“I knew it!”

Both turn to look at the doorway where Kara is standing with her hands on her hips in classic Supergirl pose, a wide grin on her face. Brooke sighs and Alex rolls her eyes, “Better go and get this over with.”

They walk back to the command centre with Kara bouncing between them, peppering them with questions. On arrival, Hank just grunts and nods, proceeding to catch Brooke up with current intel regarding Cadmus. Both Brooke and Alex keep sneaking glances at each other. Kara eventually can’t contain herself and starts asking Brooke about her feelings for Alex and when she knew, and so on. Alex looks up angrily and is about to explode at her, so Brooke quickly steps in between them to mediate, “It’s very sweet of you to be this excited about us, but I think Alex should hear how I feel about her from me first, and not in front of her sister, don’t you?”

Brooke only realises what she let slip when eight pairs of eyes snap towards her, and one pair of hands, Hank’s, point a gun at her.

“Oh shit. I can explain….”


	9. Chapter 9

_Brooke only realises what she let slip when eight pairs of eyes snap towards her, and one pair of hands, Hank’s, point a gun at her._

_“Oh shit. I can explain….”_

Everyone was frozen in place. Alex looked between Hank and Brooke; caught between anger at Hank for pointing a gun at her and anger at Brooke for the perceived betrayal. Kara’s face was a picture of sorrow as she slowly edged away from Brooke, Hank rigid with fear and cold fury. His hands never wavered, the barrel steady and aimed directly between the centre of Brooke’s eyes, “You’d better explain right now exactly why you think Supergirl is Alex’s sister,” he demanded.

Brooke looked on the verge of panic. Alex was silently begging her with her eyes to stay calm, hoping like hell she had a reasonable explanation to get them all out of this situation, before something unforgiveable happened. Brooke took a deep breath and began to speak, her tone pleading, “Hank, you read my mind. You know me! Earlier you mentioned my enhanced abilities, like strength and speed. You didn’t mention all of them, but I assume you’ve seen them in my mind. I know Supergirl is Kara because Alex introduced her to me yesterday.”

Alex and Kara exchanged glances, how did that mean Brooke could see through her disguise after meeting her just once? No one else had come close to guessing except maybe Cat Grant, and Kara had been around her nearly every day for over two years. The tip of the gun waivered slightly. The rigid lines of tension in Hank’s body eased fractionally, “Your senses…”

“Yes,” breathed Brooke in relief, “as soon as I got near her today I knew. I’m sorry, I should have said something then. But, after what you said to me in the conference room I… I just assumed you were aware that I knew.”

Hank dropped the gun completely. The tension in the room eased considerably, although now, for the rest of them, confusion reigned instead.

“Wait, hang on,” said Alex, “How did you know as soon as you walked in? That doesn’t even make sense!”

“The same way I know you had extra espresso this morning, the same way I know Winn had some type of meat pizza for breakfast this morning, the same way I know somewhere in this room someone has stashed a gym bag full of sweaty workout gear …” Winn turned bright red. Leaning back, he kicked something further under the desk.

Alex’s face cleared, an expression of wonder took over instead, “You can smell it?!”

“Yes, everyone has a unique scent and my sense of smell is more like an animal’s, as is my eyesight and hearing.”

“Oh my God, you smelt me?” Kara started sniffing at herself frantically, causing Alex and Brooke to break out in a fit of the giggles. “Hey, it’s not funny, am I extra stinky?” she beseeched with a pout. Brooke got a hold of herself. She stepped closer to Kara and took an exaggerated sniff, “Kara, you smell amazing. Like coconut and apples and something that is uniquely you, also equally as pleasant. I did say everyone had a unique scent and that I recognised you from how you smelt yesterday, but I never once said it was unpleasant, did I?” Kara relaxed, then her face got a mischievous look, “So, Brooke… What does Alex smell like?” 

Brooke turned to Alex with an equally impish look and started prowling towards her, “Oh no you don’t,” Alex said, holding out her hands and backing up, “they’ll be no sniffing of me at work.” Hank finally had enough of their antics and intervened. He explained to Brooke the need for Supergirl’s secret identity and the consequences of revealing it. Brooke fully understood and consented to sign a non-disclosure agreement immediately. An hour later they were frustrated, having spent the entire time discussing Cadmus and getting no further regarding a plan to take them down. Brooke said she was happy to be used as bait to draw them in. Alex and Kara both vetoed that idea immediately but Hank’s pensive expression worried Alex. When he later called her into his office, she thought he was going to force them to agree to it. Instead, he asked her to run tests on Brooke.

“Tests? Hank, I need to be honest with you about something. It might not be appropriate for me to conduct any tests on Brooke. You see, we…there may be something… Um… we are… What I mean is that…”

Hank bore the painful, fumbling explanation for as long as he could stand and then interrupted, “I know Alex. I read her mind, remember? Neither of you, or Kara for that matter, have been particularly subtle.” he said sarcastically.

Alex felt her face flush. “So, then you know why it can’t be me. There’s a conflict of interest.”

Hank stood and came around his desk, holding her by the shoulders, “Alex there is no one else I trust more to do these tests and retain a professional approach. As for Brooke, there is no one else she would trust to do it, other than you. The amount of trust she has in you after such a short time is staggering. Although, to her, I guess she feels it’s been years.”

“What do you mean Hank?”

Hank dropped his hands and looked flustered, going back to sit down behind his desk as if to use it as a barrier, “Just trust me Alex, go and ask her to do it this afternoon. Run all the basics and any other tests you think would be pertinent.”

Alex knew she wasn’t going to get any more out of him as he turned to his paperwork. As she went to leave, something occurred to her, “Hank? What did you whisper in Brooke’s ear?”

Hank stilled, although he didn’t look up. Quietly, he said, “I told her, welcome to the family.”

**********

 

Alex had taken pictures of Brooke with and without her wings in evidence. Videoed their emergence and collapse. Plucked a feather from six different areas of each wing, wincing in unison with Brooke every time she teased one free. She’d also run every test she could think of: blood tests, scans, x-rays and so on. The results were intriguing. Brooke perched on the end of the med bay bed, sitting on her hands and swinging her feet, watching Alex as she puttered around retrieving results and comparing data. Alex heard fidgeting behind her and an impatient cough. Smiling she turned to face Brooke. She knew she had been lost in the world of science for close to three hours, Brooke had been unendingly patient.

“So,” asked Brooke, “what’s the verdict Doc? Am I still human?” Although it was asked in a jokey manner, Alex could see the anxiety that lay beneath the simple question. She tilted her head, observing Brooke for a moment, wondering why she would be so concerned about what Alex might have found. Filing that detail in her mental drawer labelled ‘things to find out about Brooke’ she approached Brooke with a print out. 

“You are most definitely human, and then some.” She responded.

“And then some?”

“Yes, you have all the normal bits and pieces a human would have plus some intriguing upgrades, as well as differences that we would normally find in the animal kingdom.”

“Oh?” Brooke seemed more curious than anxious now, which made Alex feel better, “Do tell Doctor…”

“How much science do you know?”

“Trying to work out how technical you can get?” Alex smirked and nodded. “Hit me with it. If I get lost, I’ll tell you. I finished school and I read a lot,” Brooke said, winking.

“Ok. Starting with your enhanced strength and speed, you have a huge number of synaptic relays that connect to each muscle, much more so than we would normally see even in an athlete. You also have about ninety percent Type II B muscle fibres, again much higher than normal. This combination improves your strength and speed factor by about fifty in comparison to normal values. Although, you might become overly fatigued if you use those abilities for too long,” she paused to see if Brooke was keeping up and continued when Brooke just nodded.

“Your enhanced hearing is due to a reconfiguration of the bone structures of the ear and a widening of the eardrum, not quite up to cat standards but definitely a hertz range equivalent to a dog, You also have an enhanced distance hearing range, an increase of approximately ten times that of a normal human range, although because you don’t have directional ears,” Alex smirked and tugged on said appendages, causing Brooke to giggle and squirm, “you probably wouldn’t be able to hear as much if there were conflicting sounds, such as in a city centre.” Brooke was nodding and seemed to be taking it all in without any confusion. Alex was starting to think she had a much higher level of science knowledge than she admitted to. Brooke interrupted her musings impatiently, “What about my eyesight and smell?” 

“You have the same approximate number of all three cone types as would be expected, but they are more concentrated to allow room for an increased amount of rods. You also have a tapetum lucidum…”

“Ah, that’s why I’m sensitive to bright light. I was wondering. Explains why I could see better at night after the change as well, because my eyes are reflecting…” Alex waited for her to finish with her arms crossed and a sardonic smile. Brooke trailed off, “Sorry, doctor, please continue,” she said with a grin.

“Lastly,” Alex began, with a mock glare, “you have a vomeronasal organ.” She stopped and waited expectantly. To her surprise, Brooke grimaced and looked worried. 

“Isn’t that the organ cats have in the roof of their mouth to enhance their sense of smell?” she enquired. Alex nodded, wondering why that, out of everything she had told her, caused her concern. Brooke looked down at her lap and bit her lip for a minute. She looked up coyly and asked, “Does that mean I won’t get any more kisses?”

Alex burst out laughing and moved into Brooke’s space, pushing her legs apart with her hips to stand between them. Looping her arms around Brooke’s neck, she put her face right next to Brooke’s, lips brushing against her earlobe, whispering, “If you promise me I smell good, then I promise you’ll get more kisses.” Brooke shuddered underneath her arms and made a groaning sound. Startled, Alex pulled back and found her eyes screwed shut, “Brooke?” she asked, worried that she had done something to upset her. She was amused to see a flush appear on Brooke’s cheeks. Was she blushing?

“Alex,” she croaked, “unless you want us to rush this and risk getting caught in a compromising positon in your office, you might want to steer clear of my ears.”

Delighted, Alex caught Brooke’s face in her hands and immediately dived for her ear again. Brooke jerked her head back and glared at her. Trying to look contrite she dipped her head and sucked Brooke’s top lip into her mouth, teasing it with her tongue. Brooke’s response was instantaneous. Her hands came out from under her thighs to wrap around Alex’s back and pull her tight to her torso, quickly escalating the kiss, pushing hard against Alex’s lips. Moments later Alex pulled away gasping, “Damn, Hank told me he trusted me to do these tests with you because I could do it professionally, so much for that!”

Brooke, looking equally flushed and dishevelled, laughed, “Classic reverse psychology. He was making sure you did by appealing to your wish to not disappoint him. Sneaky!” Alex moved to the other side of the room, giving Brooke a sheepish smile, “I do need to finish these reports. I was supposed to be seeing Kara tonight but do you…”

“It’s ok,” said Brooke, jumping down from the bed, “I have work to finish tonight and errands to run tomorrow.” She walked over to Alex, hugging her and burying her face in the side of her neck for a second. Straightening, she explained further, “A friend of mine runs an internet café and he set up a website under his name for me. People send me their pictures and I charge them a fee to draw them in graphite and frame them. He ships them for me for a twenty percent cut. I have two to get finished tonight. But, tomorrow night, can I…”

Alex cut her off mid-sentence, stretching up and kissing her gently, “tomorrow, I’m taking you out to dinner.” Brooke agreed happily and leant down for another peck on the lips before she left. As she walked out of the door, Alex saw her look back at least twice. 

**********

Kara was on her way into the L-Corp building, on a fishing expedition. Her last story about eco-terrorists and oil conglomerates had thankfully been accepted by Snapper. Although, having to deal with their posturing and complete lack of action, other than opening their mouths to insult each other, had left a foul taste in her mouth. Now, she was chasing a new idea, without approval. Nerves made butterflies jump in her abdomen. Said nerves having nothing to do with seeing Lena again, nope, not at all. 

Pushing through the door into the main lobby she went straight to the executive lift and pushed the button for the penthouse suite. She carried on mulling over her feelings about Lena as the lift rose. She had lots of people in her life now, fitting neatly into certain categories. Kara knew most people didn’t categorise their life or the people in it like she did. However, on Krypton, it was natural; everyone had a place and role to fulfil and knew where they fit. She found it hard to stop that habit here on Earth. Alex, Clarke and Eliza were in the family category. Hank was a part of that too, as a father figure. Joel was her boyfriend. Lucy, James and Winn were in the friend’s category. Her brow creased when she remembered she still hadn’t spoken to them to mend the rift between them; tomorrow, she promised herself. Cat was her mentor, someone she looked up to. Although she could possibly be in the family category too. Not as a Mother figure though, Eliza more than filled those boots. Perhaps more like a favoured aunt. Kara winced at the reminder of Astra, moving on rapidly from that thought. 

Then, there was Lena. She was a friend. At least, Kara thought they were getting there, Lena had even said she hoped they could be. Something wasn’t quite right about that definition though. Kara felt drawn to her in a different way than she was drawn to her other friends. She definitely wasn’t in the family category either and their views were too different to consider her a mentor. So, for the moment, Kara had to leave her in the friend’s category. Even though that felt woefully inadequate, like something was missing. Before she could follow that line of thought further, the lift dinged and she stepped out.

She approached the receptionist cautiously, feeling like she was treading on eggshells. The receptionist looked up from her computer with a professional smile that fell away when she saw Kara waiting in front of her, “Hi there. Is Ms. Luthor available? If she’s with someone I don’t mind waiting...” Kara began, with an over the top, cheery tone.

“I’ll tell her you’re on your way in, shall I?” she sneered at Kara, immediately turning away and picking up the phone.

Kara always dreaded having to deal with this receptionist. Sometimes, if it wasn’t urgent and she caught sight of her at the desk with her x-ray vision before leaving the lift, she would hit the button for the ground floor before she noticed her. She wasn’t sure why she disliked her so much, it wasn’t like she had given her cause, except that one time she had pushed past her and ignored all her protests. 

When she entered Lena’s office, Lena was already at her drinks bar. Preparing the herbal tea Kara had said she liked smell of last time she was here. As Lena turned to her with the cup, Kara found herself returning the wide smile Lena was bestowing on her. Lena indicated for them to take a seat on the sofa and as she turned away, Kara tripped on the rug. Catching her balance before she made an idiot of herself, she contemplated how she automatically became flustered whenever she was in Lena’s presence. It was like she lost her self-assurance. Usually, she had to work at being a bumbling klutz in her Kara persona. Not in front of Lena apparently.

Settled on the two-seater, Lena sat slightly too close to the middle, forcing Kara to sit down in a way where their knees brushed together. Lena smiled like the cat that got the canary and asked, “So, Kara, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Kara licked her lips, nerves nearly getting the better of her, then launched into her story idea regarding the class divide in National City. The have’s and have not’s. Lena made relevant, insightful comments and teased more out of Kara, the conversation flowing well. Then Kara got to her pitch about how L-Corp could help the youth of the city more, offering apprenticeships or scholarships to students who would struggle to afford college, or find a job with prospects because of their background. Lena threw her back and laughed. A deep, soulful laugh that, for some reason, intensified the butterflies in Kara’s belly. When Lena looked back at Kara, she was relieved to see in her expression that she had been amused by Kara’s brazenness, not because it was a stupid idea.

“I see, so you’re not just here to get a story, you’re here to ask me to create you a story?” she asked, amusement still evident in her tone.

Kara blushed, “Well, I would like you to think about it, but, there was a story I need to get a quote for. Snapper knows about the party for Joel’s charity and that lots of corporate sponsors, including you, attended. He’s asked me to get some CEO’s takes on charitable ventures and their usefulness in solving society’s problems. So, I thought I’d start with you,” she finished with a winning smile.

To her shock, Lena’s face shut down. She got up from the settee, crossing to bang her cup down on the bar. Kara couldn’t think what she had done to offend her and jumped up, stuttering apologies. Lena walked back over to her and took her hands, quieting Kara. She could see the effort Lena made to school her expression. She met her eyes and the strain in her face dissipated slightly, “Kara, you could never offend me. I just have mixed feelings about a purported charity spending that much of its donated funds on a party, such as the one we attended last Friday, that’s all. I promise I will give you a quote. But for now, you must excuse me as I am late for a meeting.”

As Lena ushered Kara out of the door she kissed her check briefly, giving her one last smile as she closed the door on her. Kara stood outside the door, feeling completely bewildered. What just happened? The receptionist was glaring at her again so she hurried from the building, deciding to talk about it with Alex later at sister’s night.

 

**********

 

Alex and Kara were relaxing after having consumed an obscene amount of chips and various other junk food goodies. They were at Alex’s for a change. Alex was pleasantly mellow, having had a couple of beers with dinner. Looking at Kara who seemed equally relaxed, she decides now’s as good a time as any to bring James and Winn up in conversation.

“Kara, about James and Winn. You need to talk to them. They never meant to break your trust, they were just… I don’t know…” Alex sighs. What can she say? They did break trust, with all of them, and made dangerous choices to boot. Where most had forgiven them though, Kara still seemed angry.

“It’s Ok, Alex. I’m going to talk to James tomorrow, we’ll be fine. Winn too.”

Alex looks at her, begging for a better explanation than that. Kara leant back and settled in against the back of the sofa. “Brooke helped me understand what I was feeling better, and what to do about it.” Alex raises her eyebrows in surprise, continuing to look at Kara, waiting for more.

“Brooke was chatting with me while you were with Hank. She noticed there was something wrong between me and Winn, so I told her what happened. She told me what I was feeling wasn’t anger, it was fear. When I thought about it looking at it from that angle, I realised, I was so scared of losing him Alex! I know what it’s like out there, how dangerous it can be. I’ve lost so many people already and I couldn’t bear to lose any of you,” Kara’s voice broke and Alex leant forward to gather her in a hug. Pulling back, she wiped Kara’s eyes, “What did you mean about Brooke helping you figure out what to do about it?”

“She told me I had two choices, and that neither of them involved telling James what to do. That he’s an adult and he makes his own decisions. She said either I could continue to wallow in these feelings of fear masked as anger and withdraw from them both, ruining our friendship. Or, I could embrace his choices and help to make sure he was as safe as possible. I spoke to Hank. He’s going to let us test the suit at the DEO to make sure it’s the best! And, he’s going to get an agent to train James so he can take care of himself better.” Kara finished, grinning.

“Wow, Brooke works fast. I was only gone for a few minutes.” Alex knew she sounded bitter, she could hear it in her tone.

“Alex? Are you jealous?” Kara asked incredulously, “Rao, what of? I thought you’d be pleased…”

Alex tried to play it down and move past it but Kara wasn’t having any of it. Eventually, she haltingly told her that she felt Brooke knew her own sister better than she did. Kara pointed out that Brooke was a touch empath. This led to a conversation about how quickly Alex and Brooke had clicked and Alex admitted to being terrified. It was all so new and she had never had feelings this strong for someone before, not even Maggie. There was a clear imbalance in that Brooke could always tell how she was feeling, she wasn’t used to being an open book and worried how she'd react when it all sunk in. Basically, she admitted she was scared silly she would screw it up somehow. 

“Alex, I don’t think you could screw this up if you tried,” said Kara, exasperated, “Have you seen the way she looks at you?”

“What if it’s just because it’s all so new? What if it just fades away and we’re left with nothing? What if we find we’re just not compatible?”

Kara snorts “Alex, if you were any more compatible I’d have had to use my freeze breath on you!” she says, doubling over with laughter. Alex fakes outrage and jumps on her, starting a tickle fight that she knew she couldn’t win. When they had settled down again, Kara looked deeply introspective. 

“Something strange happened with Lena today.” Alex was instantly on high alert. Concern over that particular friendship was always at the back of her mind and this raised red flags immediately. Kara talked her through the meeting, giving as much detail as she could.

“Do you think I did something wrong?” she asks Alex plaintively. 

Alex takes the time to think carefully about it. Eventually, she says “I don't think it was you. From the way you described her interactions with you, she seemed fine until you mentioned the charity party. So, it's either the charity she has a problem with, or someone associated with it.” Kara’s face lights up with relief, back to happy and bouncing within seconds. Alex’s mind slips back to how Kara had said Lena and Joel interacted when they met there. Do they know each other and they don’t get on? Is that why she has an issue with talking about it? Kara starts talking about a new TV programme she wants to try and Alex shrugs off her suspicions for now, content to turn to other topics.

 

**********

 

Lena drove aggressively along the highway. Her thoughts tumultuous. She knows she shouldn’t be driving in this state, she was just so angry she couldn’t continue hiding in her ivory tower. She knows this will probably end badly, most likely for her. But, seeing Kara today had pushed her into action. She had never met someone like Kara before. Every day was a struggle to not think like a Luthor. To crawl out from under their nefarious hold over her, and it was hard! It was so hard she sometimes felt like giving up the battle that waged in her, then she would think about Kara. Sometimes she’d picture her in her glasses and one of her never-ending supply of cardigans; sometimes she’d picture her in in her super suit, standing in her trade-mark pose. She'd suspected who she really was for a long time, the secretly recorded video of her destroying the skin tester had sealed it. It just made her even more special in Lena's eyes. Kara gave her a reason to try. She gave her the strength to get through another day, the strength to carry on making the right decisions. She’d be damned if she let anyone take away her hope now!

Two and a half hours later she drives up to a mansion on the coast, wondering if the security codes have been changed since she was last here. She wouldn’t put it past her. Tapping in several digits, she’s relieved when the light goes green and the deadbolts disengage. The mansion is in darkness on the lower floor, she turns to the sweeping staircase and heads towards the master bedroom at the far end. Slamming open the door, she is greeted by the sight of her Mother laying spread eagled in bed, someone between her legs. Thankfully the sheets cover the intimate details. Crossing her arms, she glares at her whilst the young man extricates himself from the covers.

Grinning evilly, her Mother grabs a robe from the end of the bed and rises, sweeping the robe around her shoulders and tying it loosely, “Be a dear and wash up,” she says to the young man, effectively dismissing him.

“Lena,” he says, nodding in acknowledgement, donning a pair of briefs and disappearing into the en-suite bathroom. Lena follows him with her eyes, glaring at his back as if she wished she had heat vision.

“To what do I owe the pleasure darling,” her Mother asks. Lena winces, remembering she used that exact same phrase earlier with Kara.

“What are you planning, Mother?”

“I gave you the chance to be a part of it and you turned me down. Why should I explain anything to you now?”

“Because now you’re going after one of my friends!” hissed Lena.

“Maybe you should pick your friends more carefully darling,” she retorted in a snide tone, “what I do is of no concern of yours any longer and I would advise you to not stand against me. These aliens must be destroyed, by any means possible!”

“Is that why you’re fucking Kara’s boyfriend, Mother?” she demanded, as Joel strolls out of the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all those who liked Joel, I'm so sorry. Blame my muse, for she took me down that dark path! :-0


	10. Chapter 10

_“Is that why you’re fucking Kara’s boyfriend, Mother?” she demanded, as Joel strolls out of the bathroom._

Lena's mother laughed shrilly, "You know very well he is no one’s _boyfriend_ dear. You should be pleased. Julian is one of the most highly trained, not to mention highly paid, sought after escorts in the business. Kara should be thanking me!" 

She moved out of the bedroom into an adjoining sitting area. Lena followed along helplessly, as she had done for most of her life. No matter how much she railed against everything the Luthor's stood for and represented, a lifetime of conditioning couldn't be undone that easily. Nevertheless, she was determined to gain the upper hand and discover what plans her mother had involving Kara. Preferably without tipping her hand that she was more invested than her Mother realised.

"What could you possibly gain by having her seduced, Mother? She's worthless to you. You're not usually so inept." Provoking her mother was a dangerous game; she had numerous scars from her childhood to remind her of that. However, her mother also had a huge ego and she had become adept at using it to manipulate her over the years.

"Yes. She is useless, isn't she? Which makes me think your association with her is a sad attempt at making yourself feel like more than the burden on this family you are, Lena. Pathetic!" Her mother was quick to extend her claws. Lena smiled to herself at her predictability while her Mother continued ranting "Worthless though? When it’s well known she has a direct line to that irritating fly that's begging to be squashed? I think not!" 

Only years of practice kept the shock from showing on Lena's face. Her whole body ached with the need to flee and find Kara, to protect her from this pitiful excuse for a human. If she reacted now, her Mother would pounce on it like a lion pursuing prey. She was long done being anyone's prey, so she bided her time; verbally sparring with her mother, trading veiled insults as they had done so many times before. In her mind, she was already thinking about how to warn Kara. How the hell could she persuade her to believe she was in danger, from a man trained to cater to her every whim and desire and who had been acting like the perfect boyfriend for weeks? Somehow, she had to find a way.

 

**********

 

Lena paced her office the following evening, phone in hand. She’d had to reapply her bright red lipstick three times already, her nervous habit of biting her lip getting the better of her. Being in the company of her Mother for a large portion of the previous evening had left her jittery. She felt unclean, sullied just by being in her presence. Alternating between wanting to call Kara, just so she knew she was safe, and not wanting to taint her with the baser aspects of her heritage, she was torn. God knows what her Mother and that damn whore were planning though. She had to find a way to get Kara to listen. Pushing the call connect again, she forced herself not to hang up before it connected. When Kara answered, she very nearly sobbed, barely managing to blurt out a request to come and meet her urgently before hanging up. 

She made some herbal tea in the hopes it would soothe her. She felt sick. Knowing that if she failed Kara could be hurt, or worse, was more terrifying than anything she had ever faced before, and she was a Luthor! She started calculating in her head the time it would take for Kara to get from Catco to L-Corp, pacing off the seconds around her office in tight circles. When her receptionist buzzed to say Ms. Danvers was waiting, she couldn’t help a slight smile. Kara had no idea how obvious she was sometimes, but unless she was at the corner of the street when she phoned, there was no way she could have gotten there that fast without super speed. She must have worried her when she called, it was endearing that she would drop everything to make sure she was ok. The smile vanished when she realised that after today, she may never get to see her like this again.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the door just as Kara slipped inside, looking exceedingly worried. A sob threatened to rise up again as Lena fully accepted how precious Kara had become to her. Kara hurried over to her and held her hands, begging to know what was wrong. Lena guided them to what she considered ‘their sofa’ and sat down with her, only to bounce to her feet a second later to pace again. Kara’s head followed her from side to side, never taking her eyes from her. The frown that marred her brow deepened. Taking a deep breath, Lena fully committed herself and began talking, somewhat shakily.

“Kara. I am so sorry to have to tell you this. You’ll find this hard to believe but please, for your own safety you must try and listen, suspend your disbelief and consider what possible reason I could have to lie to you.”

Kara looked even more worried when she heard this dramatic opener. She went to speak, only for Lena to hold her hand out in a plea to let her continue. Frown firmly in place and her mounting confusion evident, Kara nodded for her to go on.

“It’s become known in certain circles, circles I wish I knew nothing about, that you are a go between, of sorts, for Supergirl. This has unfortunately made you the target of a plan to entrap Supergirl somehow. I’m not sure of the exact details as to how, but I do know who,” Lena’s throat closed. She wasn’t sure she could do this. If she believed her, it would break Kara’s heart. If she didn’t? It would break hers.

Kara stood up and slowly walked towards her, as if worried she would run like a deer fleeing the smell of a predator, “Lena, whatever it is, you can tell me. Please, I trust you.” Hearing those words were all Lena had ever wanted and now she couldn’t bear it. Tears began sliding down her cheeks, unchecked. Kara gathered her up into her arms, holding her while she cried. Lena never cried. That too was a weakness, and she had learnt to never show it when she was younger. But in this moment, in Kara’s arms, she didn’t feel any of that; all she wanted was to show this young woman how much she cared and that she would do everything to protect her.

“Supergirl, it’s Joel. He’s a set-up. Supposedly to use you to get to Supergirl but they have no idea who you really are. You’re in danger, you need to….”

Kara pulled away abruptly, staring at Lena, shock written all over her face, “What? Why do you think… I’m not…”

“Kara, we don’t have time for this, you are in danger! If I have to throw my scalding hot tea over you to prove how sure I am, I will! But right now we need to figure out how they plan to entrap you through Joel”

“Why do you keep saying Joel’s name?”

“He’s not who he says he is Kara. He’s a plant, sent as a lure to entice you into giving them a way in to Supergirl. That’s how I know they don’t know about you or they would have done something to you already.”

“You’re crazy. I have no idea what you are talking about,” Kara said, her voice getting louder, “But I do know I must have been crazy too, crazy to trust a Luthor!” Kara turned away from her and Lena grabbed at her arm in a futile effort to stop her leaving.

“Please, Kara! Please, don’t do this! You have no idea… I would do anything for you. I’m trying to protect you…” Lena’s heart-felt pleas fell on deaf ears as Kara ran from the room, too fast to be considered human speed, her normal equilibrium shattered. Lena fell to her knees, eyes squeezed shut in denial. She couldn’t breathe. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing her heart hard enough to burst it. All she could see, playing in her mind’s eye over and over, was the look of contempt on Kara’s face while she condemned her for having the name Luthor.

 

**********

 

Alex checked her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. It was only ten to seven. They had arranged to meet at seven o'clock outside the Italian restaurant Alex had picked. She'd realised how little she really knew about Brooke when she had to ask if Italian was ok. That realisation added to a small kernel of doubt that had taken seed in her heart. Doubt that this would work, that she was good enough. Doubt that Brooke could possibly feel as much for her as she felt for Brooke, because even Alex couldn't fathom how she was falling so hard, so fast, herself. The breeze was beginning to pick up and Alex was starting to regret wearing her little black dress without a jacket. Until she saw Brooke approaching that was; the look of sheer adoration and appreciation on her face was worth every goose-bump. Brooke drew closer; she was wearing a black pants suit with a tight white shirt underneath, unbuttoned enough to show a shadow of cleavage. The cut of the suit hugged her curves in all the right places; Alex felt her mouth go dry. Brooke stopped just short of her and stared into her eyes, "Alex, you look amazing," she breathed. Brooke's hands were down by her sides; they twitched, as if wanting to reach out for her. Alex didn't wait, moving closer and throwing her arms around her to share a gentle kiss. They drew apart, both smiling uncontrollably. 

Once seated in the restaurant, Alex’s fears fell away. Sitting opposite Brooke, all she had eyes for was her. Over their starters they talked about what they liked and disliked, trying to get to know more about the other. Alex learnt more about how Brooke survived with no ID through her drawing business, as well as finding out she copy edited online for a fanzine.

"Where did you learn to draw?" She asked, curiously.

"I've always loved drawing since I was a kid, but drawing from photos for other people, well, that really took off in rehab," Brooke paused, her eyes shining with mischief. 

Alex got over her shock and smirked back, tipping her glass of wine towards Brooke's Coca Cola, "that makes more sense now," she stated. Looking between their drinks, she frowned, "does it bother you if I drink?" She asked, concerned.

Brooke laughed, "Alex, it's been fourteen years, I'm fine."

"Fourteen years sober? How old were you when you stopped? Twenty-one?” Alex scoffed.

Brooke sighed, "I guess it's time for that discussion then. Alex, how old do you think I am? Don't be generous..."

Alex looked at her for a moment, noticing the slight crow’s feet around her eyes but no other indicators of any sort, "thirty-five, thirty-six?" She hazarded.

Brooke's face fell. For a moment she sat still, not responding, "Alex, do you think you could date an older woman?" She asked apprehensively.

"Brooke I honestly don't care how old you are. I just enjoy being with you."

Brooke smiled, "that's good to know, seeing as how I'm forty-four," she responded, winking.

Alex stared in surprise for the second time that night, "well," she said, after recovering, "I hope I look as good as you when I'm your age!" She tipped her glass towards Brooke for a toast, Brooke raised her soda and bumped her wine glass, chuckling.

They spent the rest of their dinner sharing thoughts and memories, finding out more about each other. Alex shared memories of her childhood and growing up, her insecurities of never feeling good enough. How she felt she always had to keep striving to be more, do more. What it was like to grow up with Kara. Brooke in turn shared about the people she had lost in the other universe, her best friends who had been her family. How she had worked with substance misusers to give back, making a career out of it for a while. She steered clear of her childhood, joking that it wasn’t first date material, causing Alex to laugh at the realisation that this was indeed their first date.

After dessert, Alex was sated. Relaxing back into her chair it suddenly occurs to her that Brooke hasn’t once reached out to touch her tonight, and she misses the contact. Although Alex is normally reserved with physical affection, right now she can’t bear to not be touching her. She reaches out and places her hand on the table; palm up. Brooke immediately lays her hand over it, entwining their fingers. Alex sees the tension disappear from her frame again, she loves that she has that effect on her. Impatient to be alone with her she calls for the cheque.

Back at her apartment she putters around in the kitchen, getting them drinks. Turning back to the lounge, she sees Brooke waiting on the sofa. She looks so right, so at home; Alex takes a moment to just watch her before joining her. They continue to talk just as easily away from the restaurant. But, yet again, Brooke doesn’t make a move towards her. Admittedly, Brooke always responded whenever Alex touched her. She never made the first move though, and that little seed of doubt was starting to grow wings, no pun intended. Alex couldn’t help but question whether Brooke really wanted to be with her, her fear of rejection constantly looming in the background. Alex draws her hand back from where she had reached out to clasp Brooke’s only a moment ago, as she does, Brooke sighs.

“Alex. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Alex lied, plastering a fake smile on her face. Getting up, she takes her half empty glass back to the kitchen to fake refilling it. Brooke doesn’t hesitate to follow her, becoming more insistent.

“Please tell me Alex, I can feel something is wrong.”

“That, right there. That’s what’s wrong.” Alex knew she was being unfair. It had always been her way to lash out when she felt vulnerable, it seemed even Brooke wasn’t immune to that tendency. She cringed internally, waiting for Brooke to get angry with her like most people did when she got unfairly snappy.

“I’m going to need a bit more to go on than that, Alex,” Brooke responded lightly. Alex spun to face her; surprised that she was remaining calm, despite Alex’s moodiness. Seeing the genuinely concerned look Brooke was giving her, she did her best to lower her defences.

“I hate that you can tell what I’m feeling all the time.”

“I’m sorry Alex. I can’t turn it off or I would,” Brooke sounded forlorn at the thought that a part of her was hurting Alex.

“I just wish I could feel you the same way,” Alex sighed. Taking the plunge she blurts out, “It just feels like I'm more invested in this, whatever it is, than you are. You never make a move on me first, it’s always me reaching out to you and it just makes me feel… I don’t know…”

Brooke chuckles; before Alex can get defensive again she takes her by the hand and leads her back to sofa. 

“Ok, you just got annoyed at me because I could tell how you're feeling right?”

“Yes.” Alex admits, rolling her eyes.

“Alex, that's why I don't initiate anything,” seeing Alex’s confused look, she shakes her head and tries again, “when you touch me, you feel my skin and that’s all. When I touch you, I feel that and a whole lot more. Alex, if you reach out to me first, knowing what you know about me, then it feels like you’re giving me permission to feel you. If I do it first? It feels like I'm taking something without asking. I don’t ever want you to think that of me Alex, so I make myself resist reaching out for you. Like, all the time. Don’t you see how many times I literally have to sit on my hands?”

A look of wonder replaces the anxiety; Alex cups Brooke’s face and whispers, “So you do want me then?”

“Oh, Alex. How can you not know?” Brooke nuzzles into Alex’s palms then lifts her head, looking straight into Alex’s eyes. “I'm head over heels in love with you!”

Alex feels frozen in place as she takes in the words that fall from Brooke’s lips. She vaguely recognises that Brooke’s face is falling and her body language is showing she is withdrawing. She hears other words: ‘sorry’, ‘too soon’, but they are drowned out by the words that preceded them: ‘love’, ‘you’. It isn’t until she realises that Brooke is about to stand up and walk away that she finally snaps back into motion, grabbing Brooke’s hands and holding her in place with all her strength.

“You love me?”

Brooke slowly nods, a smile daring to form on her lips. Alex lets out a little sound of joy and literally falls onto Brooke’s mouth. As soon as their lips touch, the heightened emotions seem to amplify every feeling. Swirling her tongue around Brooke’s mouth, she feels a tingle that she knows well, shocked that she is this ramped up already. Pushing Brooke backwards until she is half-lying across the sofa, not once losing contact with her mouth, Alex straddles her lap and ravishes her mouth with everything she has. As she leans further into Brooke, their breasts touch softly and she can’t resist letting more of her weight drop down against her, supporting the rest of her weight on her elbows, either side of her head. Brooke’s hands dart up, wrapping around her back, nails digging into her shoulders. Their hips begin to undulate, moving together in a rhythm that is both familiar and new at the same time. 

Alex can feel how wet she is already and lets out a moan, as soon as she hears it Brooke lets out a matching sound and her hands drop to Alex’s hips, pulling her more firmly against her lap. Alex can feel the pressure from her clit to her nipples; she has never needed someone inside her as much as she needs Brooke right now. Surging forwards she latches her lips onto Brooke’s earlobe and sucks it into her mouth. Brooke reacts immediately, a strangled gasp escaping her. Her back arches, thrusting her hips up as her hands clench and pull Alex down against her, hard; crushing Alex’s clit against the fly of her pants. Holding her in place, she rolls her hips in time with the shudders shaking them both. Alex tears her mouth away from Brook and rears back, white hot arousal shooting through her, pushing her over the edge into an orgasm so intense her vision darkens and dizziness overtakes her. 

When she regains her senses a few minutes later, Brooke has lifted her to lie between the back of the sofa and Brooke herself, cradling her in her arms. Brooke feels her stir, “Are you ok?” Unable to speak yet, Alex nods and tightens the arm she has slung around Brooke’s waist. She can’t believe what just happened to her. Fair enough, men hadn’t done a lot for her in the past. But, even with the few women she’d been with, she had never been that turned on before. She had certainly never experienced an orgasm so powerful she practically blacked out before, not to mention she still had all her clothes on and hadn’t touched any of Brooke’s skin, except her mouth and ear!

After a few minutes of stroking Alex’s back, Brooke clears her throat, “That might be why I suggested we take it slow,” she says with a barely contained grin in her voice.

Alex leans up on her right elbow, enabling her to make eye contact. She can see Brooke’s eyes are twinkling and she has a beautiful, serene smile on her face. Raising one eyebrow at her she pokes her in the ribs, prompting her to continue. Brooke giggles and stills her hand.

“So, you know how I can sense emotions through touch?” Alex nods impatiently; she already knows this, “Well, I can also project them if I want to. It usually takes a lot of effort and I have to concentrate hard to do it, I’ve projected fear into someone to get them to give them self up to the police, that sort of thing. But, it seems when I’m not in control, or exceptionally emotional, I can’t control it.” She then stares at Alex expectantly. 

It takes Alex a few seconds to overcome her bodies’ lassitude and engage her scientist brain. When she does, her mouth opens in an ‘O’ of surprise. “I felt you?!” When Brooke nods, grinning madly, Alex realises what it means.

“Oh my God, it’s like a feedback loop! The more arousal you feel from me, the more turned on you get and the more you accidently project it to me increasing my arousal and so on!”

Brooke nodded happily. Then she frowned. “Alex, why are you feeling envy? I just told you I could give you orgasms squared!”

Alex replied but it was muffled in Brooke’s shoulder. When Brooke nudged her away and begged with her eyes for her to say it again, Alex looked down and shamefacedly muttered, “I’m jealous of all the women who got to feel that with you before I did.”

Brooke laughs long and hard then grabs Alex up into a bear hug, kissing her soundly for a few minutes. “Alex, I haven’t been with anyone for over two years, not since I met you that day in Noonan’s. And I certainly never felt this much for anyone that came before, so I haven’t experienced it like this before either.”

They spent a few minutes just kissing and cuddling. Murmuring sweet nothings and revelling in their new found intimacy. Eventually, Alex snorts, startling Brooke, “I was just thinking, if that’s what you do to me in a few minutes fully clothed, I think getting you naked might kill me!” Brooke laughed from her guts, throwing her head back. Not until that moment did Alex realise how restrained Brooke had been, always holding some of herself back. Alex vowed to try and make her laugh like that every day. 

Content to simply lay there and talk quietly, the conversation turns to the strange situation Kara had mentioned regarding Lena and Joel. Brooke tells Alex that she volunteers at a youth charity as well, offering group mentoring and interpersonal training to the young people a few days a week. When she asks what charity Joel works for, to see if she knows of it, Alex responds, “It’s called Horizon.” Brooke stiffens, “Alex, I’ve worked at Horizon for nearly two years. I’ve never met a man called Joel!”

Alex bolted upright, “Kara!”

**********

Since fleeing from Lena's office, Kara had been a mess. She'd been pacing so much she had actually worn a rut in the wooden floor of her loft. She never got sick, but, if she did, she imagined she'd feel a lot like she feels now. She'd spent the last two hours pitting her memories of Lena against those of Joel, trading off moments she felt secure and safe against moments she felt unsure and wary. It should have been no contest. Joel had been perfect from the moment she met him; no pressure, no arguments, always knew what to say and how to make her feel the centre of his world. Yet, that very perfection was now giving her cause to question it. Alex certainly had doubts and issues regarding Brooke, even though it was obvious they were meant for each other. Putting it into context with the other relationships in her life, not one had ever been such smooth sailing. People were messy. Rao, Kara knew that better than anyone after her struggle to fit in and understand humanity. 

So, why then was her relationship with Joel so easy? Why, after nearly eight weeks of dating had he never once complained about how little time she had for him, or that she was so reluctant to let him do more than kiss or hold her? Unless he knew more about her than he let on, or was using her? Or maybe he really was just that perfect. Kara felt like pulling her hair out in frustration, if she could. She'd tried calling all her usual contacts, of course tonight would be the night they were all busy.

Weighing up her choices, she knew she couldn't wait until tomorrow to find answers. If Joel was up to no good, she needed to know, now. Sure that she could take care of herself, being virtually indestructible, she texted him to let him know she needed to see him urgently. The irony of it being nearly the exact same words Lena had spoken to her earlier was not lost on her. Joel texted back quickly, as he always did. Another reason to fall for him? Or to distrust him? Either way, she'd soon find out, he promised he'd be there in an hour.

When she finally heard a knock at the door she nearly jumped out of skin, having been too distracted to take her glasses off so not hearing anyone approach. Berating her carelessness, she slipped them down to use her x-ray vision. Joel stood the other side of the door, alone, a picture of sincere concern. Seeing him waiting there, calmly, Kara felt certain he couldn't be anything other than who he purported to be. She opened the door and her arms to him. Leading him to the kitchen, Joel started peppering her with questions. 

"I'm so sorry for worrying you Joel. Forget it. It doesn't matter now. I'm just glad you're here," she assured him, stretching up on tiptoes to be able to peck his lips.

Joel returned the kiss and seemed willing to stay and hang for a while. They talked about Kara's new story and Joel was nothing but supportive and encouraging. Leaning back into his arms, her back to his front, she suddenly asked, "Do you know Lena Luthor?" She felt him stiffen slightly and craned her neck around to look up at him. 

His face was expressionless. "Where did that come from?" He asked, carefully. Kara sat up, curious as to why his tone changed when she mentioned Lena. "She was saying some not very nice things about you, that's all."

A flash of anger crossed Joel's face for a fraction of a second, had Kara not had super senses she may have missed it. She pulled back further, moving to sit at the far end of the sofa. Joel smiled winningly, something still felt off to Kara though.

"Joel, what's going on? The two of you were barely civil at the party and now she's telling me you're just using me..."

The smile was replaced by a look of sorrow, "Kara, sweetheart. I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."

"Dragged into what?"

Joel stood up, watching her for a second as her discomfort grew. "Lena and I used to date, she's jealous Kara. She wanted what I want for us."

"What do you mean? What do you want for us?"

Joel dropped to one knee in front of her, pulling a small black box from his jacket and extracting a ring. Kara could only stare, open mouthed. 

"This, Kara. I want forever, for us." He said as he placed the ring on her left ring finger and stood up, taking her hands and pulling her into an embrace.

Kara stepped back from his arms to respond. Whether to say yes, or laugh hysterically, she wasn't sure. Nausea suddenly welled up in her gut and her head started pounding. Looking down, she glanced at the ring. It was a single band of silver metal, embedded in the top was a large stone. A green stone. 

"Joel..." she gasped, her knees buckling under her as her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Oh, this is priceless... Supergirl?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter this time, sorry. RL got in the way, darn it! :P

_”Oh this is priceless... supergirl?”_

Joel let go of her, watching as she crumpled to the floor, staring in fascination as she convulsed. 

"Well, she wasn't lying about how potent the new and improved Kryptonite G is. Just so you know, the plan was to seduce you, get engaged and boom! The next time you were close to Supergirl, she'd be dead in five minutes, with you none the wiser as to why it happened. But this is even better, I get to watch as your cells degrade and you die from the inside out."

Kara lay immobile, unable to lift a finger let alone rip the ring from her hand. The pain was unbearable; a scream welled up inside her but her throat was too clogged to get it out. When she coughed and a fine spray of blood misted the air in front of her, she realised why. Despair overtook her. No one would know she needed help, no one would come in time. No one even knew she was in danger, except Lena, and look how she had treated her for trying to warn her? As she coughed again, she could hear a low keening repeating over and over. It took her a few seconds to realise she was making the noise; she tried to stop, but she seemed to have no control over her motor functions. Her eyes were fixed in front of her and she could see Joel standing over her, his face twisted in a viscous sneer, triumph evident in his rictus of a grin. As Kara lost hope, she heard a distant sound that she couldn't place. Joel's head swung towards the front door; before she could find out what it was, her senses failed her and she mercifully sunk into oblivion.

 

**********

 

Lena remained in her office after Kara left, trying to piece herself back together. She knew her Mother was going to continue to pursue Supergirl through Kara, she never gave up when her mind was set on something. Lena felt helpless. She racked her brains, trying to think of who she could contact to help persuade Kara she was in danger. Kara had mentioned a sister before, friends at Catco. Did they have the contacts to protect her? Would they even listen to her any more than Kara had? No, she decided, this was down to her. 

Back to pacing, she decided she had to try again, regardless of how awful it would feel if Kara became angry at her again. She tried calling Kara's mobile. Voicemail. Throwing the phone onto the sofa she growled in frustration. Seeing her car keys nestling in the dish by the door, she made a snap decision. Retrieving her phone and grabbing her jacket she practically ran out of the office, jabbing the down button on the lift furiously in a futile attempt to get it to work faster.

When she reached the parking garage, her driver jumped to attention. She spent a precious few minutes reassuring her that she didn't require her services for the evening, that she would be fine on her own. By the time she got her car started and pointed at the exit ramp, she had to make a conscious effort to not slam her foot down on the accelerator. She had a feeling that time was running out. Her instincts and gut intuition had saved her more times that she could count in the past so she didn't once question it, instead using it to fuel her determination to get to Kara as quickly as possible.

Arriving at Kara's apartment block, she left the car in a no parking zone to save time. The sense of urgency was growing and she threw caution to the wind. Taking off her heels, she used one to smash the panes of glass near the outer door lock, stretching her arm through the gap to undo the deadbolt, not even noticing the small nick of pain at her wrist from the glass. Eschewing the lift for the stairs, she bounded up them two at a time. Her racing heart-beat pounded in her ears, seeming to scream fast-er, fast-er, at her. Reaching Kara's door, she bent over to catch her breath. As her laboured breathing quieted and her pulse slowed down, she heard what she was sure was a moan of pain coming from behind the door. Reaching into her shoulder bag, she pulled out a snub-nosed pistol. Dropping the bag to the floor she took four steps backwards, then ran forward, raising her foot to kick directly at the lock.

 

The door slammed open and Lena took in the scene before her in one glance. Kara lay on the floor, part way between the kitchen and the lounge, Joel standing over her with a phone in his hand. Blood trickled from her eyes, ears and nose. A fine spray of blood covered her chin and chest. Lena's heart nearly stopped. Joel turned towards her and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, metal glinted as he withdrew his hand, raising his arm to point the gun at her. Pulling the trigger, she watched as blood began to spread over his thigh, then pain bloomed high up on her right side. It felt like she had been punched, the force spinning her round and taking her to the floor. She crawled behind the kitchen bench. Her right arm was useless, hanging like a dead weight. She tried lifting the gun in her left hand, but she knew she would struggle to aim accurately. Panic started to build. Kara had looked on the verge of death, she had to put Joel out of action and get help, now.

 

**********

 

Alex was scrabbling around the apartment, desperately looking for her gun. She couldn't remember where she had put it when she changed for her evening out with Brooke. Couldn't think past 'Kara was in danger'. Brooke was trying to speak to her, but it was like watching a silent movie; nothing was getting past the roaring inside her head, urging her to protect Kara. Eventually Brooke gave up trying to talk to her. Sniffing, she went directly to the side unit in the bedroom, pulling Alex's gun and holster from the top drawer. As Alex attached it she calmed enough for Brooke to finally get through to her.

"Alex, are you with me now?" Alex nodded, swallowing hard. "Ok, you need to call Hank and tell him to get a team to Kara's and that we'll meet him there."

Alex looked at Brooke, "We'll meet him there?"

Brooke smiled gently at her then closed her eyes, a frown wrinkling her brow; as her jaw clenched, Alex heard a ripping sound. Two beautiful golden wings emerged from Brooke's back, unfurling gently until they nearly spanned the bedroom. 

"We'll meet him there," Brooke repeated firmly, rising and holding out her hand to Alex to help her up. As Alex finished her frantic, garbled call to Hank, Brooke flung open the balcony windows and beckoned her over. 

"Stand behind me. That's it. Now reach your arms under mine... Clasp your hands behind my neck... Ok, now jump up and wrap your legs around me like I'm giving you a piggyback. Ok, ready?"

Alex nodded and Brooke leapt into the night sky, her wings rising high above their heads before sweeping down in huge arcs to gain height. After a few seconds, she heard Brooke yelling for directions. Shouting into her ear, she told her which way to go. Brooke tipped forward for a moment, Alex clamping her legs tighter around her hips to compensate. The shoulders of Brooke's wings melded into her back at a point just under Alex's upper chest; she felt the shafts change angle slightly as Brooke propelled them forwards rather than upwards. At any other time, she would have enjoyed the flight immensely, the gentle dip and swell as Brooke's wings rose and fell, the warmth of Brooke's body heat preventing the chill of the night air becoming a problem. As it was, she had to restrain herself from continually telling her to hurry.

As Brooke landed on Kara's balcony, they heard the front door slam open. Through the glass, they could see Lena aiming a gun at someone. She was shot just as she pulled the trigger. As soon as she fell to the floor an animalistic growl came from deep within Brooke's chest. Alex hastily tried to get out from behind Brooke and draw her gun. By the time she had gained her footing, Brooke had surged forward, ripping the doors open. As she turned left towards whoever had shot Lena, Alex caught a glimpse of her face; her eyes glowed golden amber, teeth bared as if she were snarling. The whole time she continued to emit a primeval growl. Alex finally entered the room behind her as more shots were fired, Brooke reached behind her and threw Alex out of sight. She landed next to Lena behind the table, desperately scrabbling to regain her line of sight, just in time to see Brooke hit in the torso, three or four times as she sprinted at... Joel? Then she caught sight of Kara. She was so still, bleeding from what looked like every orifice. Alex had to clamp her lips together to prevent a scream of horror escaping.

Brooke picked Joel up by the throat and tossed him at the wall, like discarding trash. His head connected first and he fell to the floor unconscious. Alex flew to Kara's side, trying to find the cause of her incapacitation. She found the ring in seconds and ripped it off Kara's finger. Looking around urgently, she couldn't see the receptacle it came in. She needed lead! But she couldn't see! Everything was blurred... Brooke sank to her knees beside her, holding her face still and dipping her head to make eye contact. Her thumbs wiped tears from her face and Alex realised she couldn't see because she was sobbing so hard. 

"Alex, what do you need? Tell me..."

"Lead," she gasped out, "it will keep killing her unless we get it in lead or far away from her!"

Reluctant to leave her to fly the ring away from Kara, Brooke sniffed all around the immediate area. Spinning to Joel she plunged her hand in his pants pocket, withdrawing a small, black ring box. Alex cried out in joy and snatched it from her hand, fumbling in her haste to get the Kryptonite away from her sister. As soon as it was latched she turned back to Kara, cradling her head and begging her to wake up. Brooke looked up to see Hank and his team walking through the busted door. Immediately he and three others pointed their guns at Lena, still lying half in and out of the kitchen, bleeding heavily from her shoulder. Brooke dashed over to stand between them, spreading her wings out to cover as much of Lena as she could.

"Director Henshaw, no! Lena tried to save her. She shot Joel and he returned fire!" Hank looked past her at the scene, slowly lowering his weapon and indicating for his team to do the same. 

Alex cried out, "Hank, she's dying! The kryptonite has been mutated. I don't know how long she's got," she finished on a sob.

Brooke looked between Lena and Kara. "You take her, I'll take Kara and Alex."

"Both? Brooke, I know you're strong but we need to..."

"Kara and this woman both urgently need medical attention! Do you honestly think Alex could stay here while we fly off with her sister?" 

Brooke ignored him after that, crouching down next to Alex to explain what she was going to do. Picking Kara up bridle style, she hurried to the window, Alex a step behind her. As soon as she stepped onto the balcony, Alex jumped up onto her back again. With a bit of fidgeting she settled and Brooke wasted no time leaping into the air when she heard Hank lifting Lena behind her.

**********

When they had reached the DEO, Kara had been checked over immediately. Once she had been placed on the sunbed and pronounced stable, Alex had time to think and breath again. Which was when she saw the ragged holes and blood stains soaking the front of Brooke’s white shirt. Frantic, she had ripped open Brooke’s shirt, only to find shallow holes. Still raw looking, but definitely not life threatening. Brooke had gathered her into her arms and made a joke about how she’d be fine, despite not being quite up to Wolverine’s standards, making Alex half laugh, half sob. 

Now, Alex sat vigil next to Kara's side, while she lay unconscious on a sunbed, again. This made twice in less than a week. Brooke was sitting next to her quietly, a hand resting on her back. Having her next to her was the only thing helping hold her together. She was content to just let Alex be, no inane comments about how she'll be ok, Alex was eternally grateful for the silent comfort. It seemed grossly unfair that Kara was here so often. She always put others first, always wanted to help others. She was the gentlest, most giving, kindest soul Alex had ever known, and yet, out of all of them, she seemed to suffer the most. How could life be so unkind?

Brooke was called away by Hank after a while. Alex had nodded her consent when Brooke had asked with her eyes if it was ok to go. She regretted it when she realised Brooke had been using her empathic touch to soothe her the whole time and her sorrow came crashing down on her again. Two hours after that, Alex was livid when Hank carried Brooke into the Med bay and set her in the bed one over from Kara.

"What the hell Hank?"

"She's just sleeping Alex, I swear. She helped us interrogate Joel when he regained consciousness."

"She projected onto him?"

Hank nodded, his expression taut with tension. Alex moved over to the bed and looked down into Brooke's face. She could see dried tear tracks running down both cheeks. "What happened Hank? Tell me everything, so I know what to expect when she wakes up."

Hank sighed, coming to stand the other side of the bed to face Alex, "Whoever handled him had installed mental blocks in his mind that I couldn't get through. Brooke said she would try a different way. I don't know what she pushed into him, but within minutes he was screaming and begging for it to stop. He told us everything he knew soon after, which wasn't much. Apparently, Lena's mother is the head of Cadmus. She promised him a huge amount of money to seduce Kara to use her to get to Supergirl. He doesn't know where they are based, or any other useful intel, unfortunately."

"And Brooke?"

"When she let him go, she ran from the room. I found her in the bathroom..." Hank hesitated until Alex glared at him to carry on. "She was passed out on the floor of one of the cubicles, I could see signs of distress and she'd been physically sick as well, so, I picked up her and brought her here."

"Oh Brooke, what did you do to yourself?" Alex tenderly stroked her hair back from her forehead and lightly kissed her, Brooke's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes filled with tears as soon as she saw Alex and she sat up, throwing her arms around her and burying her head in her neck. Alex stroked her back, making soothing sounds while Hank quietly backed out of the room. Eventually, she found out that Brooke had used memories of her own and others pain, fear and horror to break him. Projecting them onto him forced her to relive them as well. Alex remembered Hank saying Joel had screamed and begged for it to stop. Her heart hurt for Brooke. What had she seen and felt in her life that was so horrific it could break a man’s mind and make her physically sick after re-experiencing it? She held her tightly and tried to project acceptance and love. Brooke slowly slipped back into an exhausted sleep and Alex took the much needed opportunity to go for a walk and stretch her muscles. 

As she walked back to the med-bay after refreshing herself and eating quickly, she passed the lab where Lena was being treated. One of her wrists was handcuffed to the rail of the bed. Hesitating briefly, she opened the door and crept in. Lena’s eyes opened immediately. On seeing Alex, she immediately asked after Kara.

“She’s still unconscious.”

“Will she… When will she wake up?”

Alex caught the change of wording, she had done it before herself, refusing to accept any other outcome that the most positive. “We don’t know.” Alex paused, then walked closer to Lena, “Your mother did this. How do we know you aren’t involved,” she hissed, venom in her voice.

To her credit, Lena didn’t recoil. In fact, she gazed steadily at Alex, remorse showing on her face. “I could never hurt Kara, Alex. I need her as much as the world needs her as Supergirl” Alex’s eyebrows shot up and she took a step backwards in shock. 

“Yes, I’ve known for a long time. You may need to talk to your sister about where she uses her powers,” a brief smile showed on her face, slipping away quickly, “I found out Mother was using Julian, Joel as you know him, to get to Supergirl just last night. I told Kara about it tonight, to try and warn her. She didn’t believe me, so I went to her apartment tonight to try again. I heard her cry out,” Lean’s eyes closed and she looked like she was in pain too, “I kicked the door open and saw him. He was a better shot than me, unfortunately. Then you and the winged woman came in and the rest you know.”

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why try and protect her? Why go to all that trouble?”

Lena looked surprised. Her brow furrowed, as if trying to fathom how Alex could even ask her that. “It’s Kara… I… How could I not? She is so pure, and full of hope. Whenever I struggle with what to do, or what choice to make, she’s who I ask; in my head. She’s like this bright light in my life... She’s… I had to protect her, I couldn’t let anyone just… I had to.”

“I’m so sorry, I should have listened to you.” Two sets of eyes snapped to the door, where Kara was leaning against the doorframe, looking drained and weak. Alex rushed over to support her and they embraced, Alex squeezing as hard as she dared, scared to hurt Kara more. “Kara, you shouldn’t be up yet!” she chastised. Kara smiled weakly and nuzzled her head, “I know. Brooke’s awake by the way, she just called you to tell you I was up but it went to voicemail. Can you just… can I just have a minute with Lena. Please?” Alex looked between them warily, nodding and telling Kara that she would be with Brooke, waiting for her; threatening to come and find her if she wasn’t back on the sun bed in five minutes.

When she had left, Kara painfully made her way across the room to stand beside Lena. They both just looked at each other for a while, neither knowing what to say. As Lena went to open her mouth to finally say something, just to break the silence, Kara spoke.

“Thank you. Brooke told me what you did for me. Thank you.”

“You’ve saved me so many times Kara. I owe you so much,” Lena chuckled self-depreciatingly, “Not that I saved you. Your sister and that woman did the saving. I just got myself shot.”

“You helped save me!” Kara insisted. Another brief pause. Kara looked down and took Lena’s unfettered hand in hers. She wished she had all her senses back at full strength. She couldn’t hear Lena’s heartbeat, or tell how she was feeling by changes in temperature, minute variations in her expression; she felt lost and vulnerable without her super powers. Begging Rao for courage, she looked back up into Lena’s beautiful, cerulean orbs. 

“I heard what you said about me, a minute ago, to Alex.” A blush spread across Lena’s face, Kara watched in rapt fascination. Rao, how had she not seen it before? She was stunning. Her own pulse picked up with her sudden realisation of where Lena fit in her life. Slowly, so slowly, she leant towards Lena, eyes never leaving hers. Her heart was in her mouth, waiting for a sign to tell her how Lena felt. The she saw it, a slight hitch in Lena’s breathing as her eyes dropped to Kara’s lips and back. Smiling, she crossed the remaining distance, closing her eyes as her lips touched Lena’s. Both of them gasped a little at the sensation. Lena’s hand rose and cupped the back of Kara’s head, her lips moving gently against Kara’s. As Kara pulled back and focused on Lena again, she could see a dazed look on her face that morphed into a brilliant smile. They stayed motionless for a moment until a noise in a nearby room pulled them from their reverie. 

“You’d better get back to your sister, before she sends out a search party,” Lena quipped.

“Will you stay here?” Kara asked.

“I don’t think your Director is planning on letting me go anytime soon,” seeing Kara’s frown she added, “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere right now anyway. I’ll be here Kara. Go and get well.”

Kara went to leave, then turned back and returned to Lena’s bedside once more, a determined look on her face. She kissed her again, lingering for a moment, “Lena,” she whispered, “you bring light into my life too.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm, really not safe to read this chapter at work :-O 
> 
> I changed the rating just in case, let me know if it's more of an M still. Enjoy... (I hope)

It had been two days since Kara had been on the verge of death. Hank insisted Kara stay in the DEO for protective custody. Despite her protests, Alex had called Catco to report she was sick with flu and would be unavailable for at least a week. Kara had stopped complaining when she realised Lena was under house arrest, which worried Alex no end. She could see the two of them growing ever closer, Kara seemed smitten. Alex was trying to be open minded, it did appear that Lena had tried to save her life. Yet, she still couldn’t shake her suspicions about Lena’s mother and the Luthor legacy. She sat now, watching them, from across the canteen. Kara was making wild gestures with her hands, talking animatedly to Lena. Lena seemed happy to listen, watching Kara with an indulgent smile on her face, her eyes never straying.

Alex felt someone sit down next to her. Without even looking she knew it was Brooke and she began to smile. A brief kiss on her cheek and a hand settling on her thigh under the table made her smile even harder. After reassuring Brooke about her fears over Alex’s reaction to her instigating touch, Brooke had become more openly affectionate. She was actually very tactile and Alex loved every minute of it. Brooke looked where Alex’s eyes were trained and sighed.

“Alex, let it go, they care for each other. There’s nothing bad happening there.”

Alex turned to look at Brooke, worry clear on her face, “I’m trying Brooke. I just can’t get past the fact that she’s a Luthor. You have no idea what her brother did to Kara’s cousin, and her Mother tried to kill Kara just two days ago!”

“So, the sins of the brother and mother are visited on Lena, ad infinitum? Come on Alex, you dug deep into her past, she has never hurt a fly.”

Alex frowned and moved slightly away from Brooke. She knew she was being paranoid, but, she almost lost Kara, dammit! She couldn’t afford to take chances, not when her sister’s life was in danger. Brooke was silent for a while. Alex wondered if she could feel that she was angry at her for not siding with her on this. Brooke turned around on the bench, curling one leg under her so she could face Alex.

“Alex, I’ve associated with a lot of demons in my past. The first three years I was changed, I seemed to be a beacon to them. They wanted to corrupt me, use me. I had to fight them in my mind every day to try and not succumb to evil. Do you think I might slip now? Do you think, just because I associated with them, I will become like them?”

Alex huffed, “I know what you’re trying to do and it isn’t the same thing. You were a good person before you were changed. You had the fortitude to resist. But, Lena? Lena has been conditioned since childhood to be a Luthor. She’s been around it every day of her life. It would take a lot more than a bit of will power for Lena to avoid becoming just like them!” Alex scoffs.

Brooke’s face shuts down; her expression looking almost severe. Alex immediately senses she has just made a big mistake, before she can scramble to fix it, Brooke rises from the bench and starts to walk away. Hesitating, she storms back over to Alex and confronts her in a low, angry tone that Alex had never heard her use before. Leaning over her, one hand on the table to support her, Brooke bends until her face is mere inches away and her eyes bore into Alex's with an intensity that startles her.

“I told you I was an alcoholic, Alex. I was not a good person! I used people and manipulated them to get what I wanted. I was selfish. And my childhood was probably equally as horrific as Lena’s. It took a long time and a lot of therapy to get where I am now and being changed nearly cost me everything. I look at Lena, and I have nothing but admiration for how she fights against what she was conditioned to be, every day of her life. If that’s what you think of her?” Brooke laughs sadly, “God knows what you’ll eventually think of me.” 

Spinning around she walks away, shoulders hunched. Alex stares after her; shocked into silence. She sees Kara turn around. The look of disappointment on her face cuts into her. Oh God, Kara heard everything. Alex stares back, at a loss of how to even begin processing how horribly wrong everything just went. Kara tilts her head towards the exit and nods at her. Alex continues to sit there for a moment, before realising that perhaps the best thing that ever happened to her is walking away from her. Suddenly, she jumps up, panic stricken, and runs from the room in pursuit.

Brooke is just about to leave the complex, standing near the lift when Alex catches her, “Brooke, please, wait!” Brooke turns to her and the sorrow on her face literally makes Alex’s heart miss a beat. She doesn’t say anything, just stands there. Ok then, Alex takes a deep breath, it’s down to her to fix this.

“Brooke, I didn’t mean to imply that people couldn’t rise above their past, or even that the past defines people. I didn’t mean to imply anything. I’m just really, really, protective of Kara. It’s hard, to trust people around her. But, of course I trust you!” Alex blurts out, hoping Brooke will accept her garbled apology and everything would be ok again. The lift arrives and Brooke just continues to look at her sadly, “You don’t even know what you’re apologising for, Alex.” Then she walks away. Away from Alex. Alex can’t breathe.

“Agent Danvers, we need you in the command centre,”

It takes Alex being called twice before she finally moves, feeling like she is walking through quicksand. Hours of technical jargon and planning pass with her barely attuned to anything going on around her. She vaguely caught Winn’s explanation of how the K-G, as they were calling it, had been mutated. That the ring also held a transmitter and a sensor to detect life signs. Had Kara’s heart have stopped in her apartment, they would have been swarmed with Cadmus agents. Winn explained he couldn’t reverse engineer the bug to find where the receiver was, but they could fool the transmitter to send out a signal at a time and place of their choosing. Operation Venus was born. 

Hank didn’t want to rush it, demanding they all take a break and setting a time to resume their planning tomorrow. Trying to lure the Cadmus agents, and hopefully Lena’s Mother, into a fool proof trap would be fraught with danger. They had to have thought of all angles first and everyone was tired. As the agents dispersed, Alex pulled her phone from her pocket. No missed calls, no texts. Swallowing, she pressed dial and brought the phone to her ear: _Hi, this is Brooke. Leave a message, or don’t. Whatever floats your boat_. Usually, this irreverent greeting brought a smile to her face, today it brought a tear to her eye. She felt someone tugging at her arm and tried to resist, she may as well have tried to resist a force of nature. Looking to her right she saw Kara with a determined look on her face, not taking no for an answer. Dragging Alex into her lab, Kara closed the door, pushed her down into a chair and stood over her, arms crossed.

“Alex, what happened?”

“I said some stupid things,” Alex mumbled.

Kara rolled her eyes, “I know that, I heard you, remember? But then you left to fix it. This doesn’t look fixed…”

“I did, I apologised! She told me I didn’t even know what I was apologising for and left!”

Sighing, Kara sat down next to her and told Alex to tell her everything, verbatim. When she had finished, Kara sat deep in thought. Then she spoke, quietly, but with conviction, “She was right Alex.” Alex leans back, surprised and confused. Kara goes on, “You’ve barely talked to Lena, or tried to get to know her. Which shows Brooke you won’t try to get past your prejudice. Yes, it is prejudice Alex,” she said more heatedly when Alex went to protest. 

“I heard what you said to Brooke, you practically dismissed everything she’s been through by saying she’s just inherently good and Lena is inherently bad. Then you made it worse by implying she got over it all through a bit of willpower. I’ve spoken with Lena a lot the last two days. She does have a battle waging inside her, every day. And she fights every day to be good and kind and fair, just like Brooke said. I would guess,” she says hesitantly now, “that being in recovery, and with everything else she’s been exposed to, it’s the same for Brooke. I heard what she did to Joel, she walks around with that inside her every day Alex...”

Alex slumps in her chair, “Oh God, when I tried to apologise I dismissed her feelings all over again. Her past does define her to a point. She even said that to me, at dinner,” Alex looks up at Kara, a tear slowly tracing its way down her cheek, “She said her past made her who she was today. That it might have been awful, and sometimes she wishes she could go back in time and change it, but that it gave her greater perspective on people, helped her help others now. Kara, how do I fix this?” she pleaded.

Kara smiled gently at her, “go and find her and tell her what’s really in your heart. And make more of an effort to get to know Lena? For me? I really like her Alex!”

Alex nodded and hugged Kara, before she got to the door she giggled as a thought occurred to her, “By the way, you’re telling my mother we both have girlfriends!” she left, still chuckling over the horrified look on Kara’s face. 

 

**********

 

Alex sat at the bar getting drunk. She had looked in every place she could think of for Brooke. The small granny flat she had been granted residence in by the couple who owned it; they let her stay there rent free because she had saved their kid from gang violence. The internet café where the manager gave her free access for saving him from thugs. The café owners who gave her free meals for helping to re-energise their business and stopped it from going bankrupt. Everywhere she went, she was reminded of Brooke’s heroic actions, her kindness and generosity. And everywhere she went, she sunk deeper into depression when she realised she hadn’t once shown Brooke that she saw her. Saw how hard she tried, and saw her succeed in overcoming her demons. 

M’gann had tried to cut her off twice already, Alex had simply reached over the bar and carried on pouring herself the frothy pink monstrosity she was consuming at a rapid pace. Her head was starting to swim, although she could still see Brooke walking into that damn lift in her head. More drink then. Someone came up beside her and put their hand over her drink.

“Danvers? Time to switch to soda my friend.”

“Sawyer? What you? what are doing?... Why you here?” Alex saw M’gann look guiltily at Maggie and frowned, pointing an unsteady finger at her, “You did it, you ‘tole her. Bad Megan.”

“Danvers, the last time I saw you this drunk _we_ were falling apart. Kara said you had a new big thing going on with, Brooke, wasn’t it? Is something wrong?”

Alex burst into tears. Hating herself for being weak in front of Maggie but too drunk to stop herself. She told Maggie all about the argument. How scared she was that she had lost Brooke when it had only just begun, how she felt about Lena and her baby sister. Unbeknownst to her, Maggie had slipped her phone from her pocket, stolen Brooke’s number off it and sent a text to Brooke from her own phone; thinking Brooke may have just been screening Alex’s number. Forty minutes later she and M’gann had gotten two coffees into Alex, who was feeling soberer, but also more miserable as the headache got an early start. Alex turned to Maggie, “I’m so sorry we didn’t work out Maggie.”

“Hey, no harm no foul Danvers. We had fun. You should probably be thinking about how to say sorry to your girl, rather than me, right now though.”

“What’s the point? I screwed it up, she’ll never…”

“I’ll never what, Alex?” Alex shut up as soon as she heard that voice. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Brooke standing behind her, a small smile curling up the corners of her mouth. “And, that’s my cue,” said Maggie, patting Alex on the arm as she passed her to leave the bar. Brooke smiled and nodded at her in thanks as she left. Alex hadn’t taken her eyes off Brooke since she first saw her. She couldn’t believe she was here. Brooke moved towards her until she was standing right in front of her. “Alex, I’m sorry…” Alex shook her head in confusion, causing her to feel dizzy and nearly fall off the stool. Brooke caught her and held her upright. “Sorry? Why are you so sorry? I’m the one who…”

“I overreacted. It’s a sore point with me, as you can imagine. I should have stayed and talked it out. I’m sorry. I wasn’t ignoring your calls. I was flying, quite high, trying to clear my head.” Alex could feel the chill of the air in the leather over Brooke’s shoulders. 

“I was so worried I’d scared you off, Brooke,” Alex whispered.

“Alex, how many times do I need to tell you? I am never going to leave you unless you tell me too!” Brooke whispered fiercely back. “Let’s go home, sober you up, and talk. Ok?” Alex held onto her tightly for a moment, then reluctantly let go, nodding her agreement. “Take me home, Brooke.”

 

**********

 

Brooke had deposited Alex on the sofa and was now intent on feeding her as much carbs and water as she could. Alex eventually protested she would explode if she forced one more bite into her. Brooke settled on the sofa and drew Alex back to rest against her, arms around Alex’s waist, nuzzling her hair and neck. Alex relaxed, feeling content again for the first time since their conversation in the canteen.

“Brooke? I am sorry for what I said. I spoke to Kara after, she said I was being prejudiced. I nearly snapped her head off for that, but she was right. I’m sorry. I promised her I’d talk to Lena.”

“That’s good. I’m glad. I can feel what Lena feels about Kara and I promise you it’s all good Alex.”

Alex thought Brooke still sounded a bit subdued. Turning to her side, so she could look up and see Brooke’s face, she continued, “I’m so sorry for dismissing what you’ve been through as well Brooke. I don’t know everything, and you don’t have to tell me everything, but I am sorry I made you think I didn’t see you. I do Brooke. I see you. I see what you do for people and I see how much you care.”

Brooke held Alex tight against her for a minute, breathing in the scent of her hair. Alex felt a tear hit her neck and held Brooke even closer. Willing her to take comfort in her embrace. 

“Alex, I could have been calm and taken the time to explain why I was upset. We’d have been fine. So, don’t take all this on yourself. I didn’t think before speaking either. Do you remember that time in the lab? When I asked if I was still human?” Alex nodded, “that’s my greatest fear Alex. That what I have experienced in my life, and with this curse…”

“Gift!” Alex interrupted.

Brooke rolled her eyes, “Fine, gift! With it, I am capable of so much damage and hurt. I worry I’ll become a monster like the demons I hunted. You saw what I did to Joel. I worry that one day, I’ll lose the battle and give into the darkness. I empathise with Lena, because I know where she’s coming from.”

Alex sat up completely, taking Brooke’s face in her hands and staring into her pain filled eyes. “Brooke, I saw what doing that to Joel took out of you. It made you sick, you cried yourself out until you were exhausted. You did what you had to do, but you felt it, you have compassion. Those aren’t the actions of a monster. I believe in you.” Brooke’s tears fell faster and faster. Alex rocked her in her arms, determined to give back some of the comfort Brooke had bestowed on her time and again.

Hours later, Alex was dozing, leaning back against Brooke. She felt her gather her in her arms and lift her up, carrying her to the bedroom. She removed everything but her t-shirt and panties, pulling back the covers and tucking her in. As she kissed her on the forehead, Alex roused herself enough to grab her hand, “Stay?” she pleaded. Brook hesitated then nodded agreement. Crossing to the other side of the bed, she stripped down to her vest top and underwear and crawled in next to Alex, spooning her and relaxing against her back. Alex snuggled back against her warmth and drifted back off to sleep, smiling contentedly. 

At some point in the night Alex had woken up with a desperate urge for the bathroom. While in there, she cleaned up some and brushed her teeth, feeling gunky after her night of drinking. Brooke roused as she left the bed. When Alex came back from the bathroom, she quietly asked if she had a spare toothbrush and disappeared for a few minutes as well. They came back together under the sheets and held each other, falling asleep again in each other’s arms.

 

**********

 

As Alex blinked her eyes open, adjusting to the semi-darkness near dawn, she struggled to place what had awakened her. She was feeling happy and cosy, but there was something else, hovering on the edge of her mind. She could feel a weight on her abdomen, warm and comforting. Looking under the covers she found Brooke’s arm lying across her, her hand having crept up under her t-shirt. Looking right Alex saw Brooke was fast asleep still, laying partially on her front, head turned towards Alex on the pillow. Smiling, Alex relaxed back against her own pillow and reached down to gently stroke Brooke’s arm. That elusive feeling intensified, it now felt like tickles that travelled up and down the base of her neck. She lifted her hand to the back of her head and the feeling stopped. She placed her hand back on Brooke’s arm and resumed her stroking. The feeling returned. Oh my God, she could feel her! A smile of wonder spread over her face. Turning as quietly as she could towards Brooke, she started trailing her hand over more of her body. Experimenting.

A gentle caress of her upper arm produced a warm tingle all along Alex’s spine. Pushing her hair back from her face and cupping her cheek produced such an overwhelming feeling of adoration she nearly gasped out loud. Running her hand down her back produced tingles that went all the way to her toes. Grinning mischievously, she let her hand start to wander further. A brief touch over Brooke’s hip and the tingle became more insistent, a fleeting glance over the side of her breast had Alex biting her lip to keep from moaning. Finally, she leant in and licked her ear gently. A shot of arousal went through Alex at the same time Brooke’s eyes flew open.

“Alex?” Brooke asked sleepily. 

“Shssssh,” she whispered, “Brooke, we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, or the next day. Life’s too short to put things off. I trust you. I want you...” with that Alex leant over and captured her lips in a deep, soulful kiss. Brooke groaned, long and hard, getting on the same page as Alex with enthusiasm. Brooke surged up, pushing Alex onto her back and wasting no time in laying over her, legs nestled between her hips. Still kissing her hard, Brooke slipped her hand back under Alex’s t-shirt, caressing each rib and muscle languidly. Alex bent her head back, already lost in the sensations being fed back to her by Brooke’s touch. Brooke immediately took advantage and attached her lips to her neck, kissing and biting as she worked her way down to her collar bone. Alex was already losing control; writhing beneath Brooke, pleading with her. Brooke’s hand finally cupped her breast, a thumb flicking over her rock-hard nipple. Alex went rigid, feeling the orgasm wash over her as Brooke’s toned stomach pressed against her clit. Coming back to Earth, she chuckled. As Brooke settled beside her again, she raised her brow, asking what was funny.

“Well, we may have got into bed this time, but we still didn’t last more than two minutes. And I still haven’t gotten to see you naked.” Said Alex, ruefully. 

Brooke just smirked at her, pulling her closer so they were both on their sides, facing each other, placing her left arm under her neck to cradle her head. “You know the wonderful thing about women, Alex?” Alex just shook her head, lost in Brooke’s smile. Brooke leant closer and put her lips against her ear, whispering in a deliciously gravelly tone that sent shivers through Alex, “they’re multi-orgasmic…” 

When she pulls back, Alex sees so much desire in her face she nearly comes again, just from being the target of so much want. Grabbing Brooke by the hair she pulls her in for another devastating kiss. Brooke pulls Alex’s leg over hip, pushing her right leg up between Alex’s, and starts to rock against her clit gently. The hand not supporting her starts to roam over Alex’s back and thigh, stroking and kneading. Alex is in freefall, panting already, when Brooke drops her leg slightly, stilling her hand. 

“Brooke, please don’t stop! God, I need you inside me so badly…” Alex cries out, not caring that she is begging. Brooke closes her eyes, biting her lip and making a visible effort to control herself, “Trust me, Alex. Be patient, I’ll take care of you.” Leaning down she silences her with her tongue while her leg starts to rock again, catapulting Alex back to her previous levels of arousal. Brooke’s hand resumes its caressing, this time over her stomach, slowly travelling higher. When she reaches her breast, she squeezes the nipple gently, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger, then pulling gently in time with her thrusts. Alex moans into her mouth and thrusts her hips harder into Brooke’s leg. Again, just before she peaks, Brooke lets go of her nipple and lowers her thigh. Groaning in frustration Alex lays limp in her arms. When she’s calmed enough to breath properly again, she feels Brooke’s hand on her lower back, sliding beneath her panties. Looking up she sees Brooke gazing at her intently, her pupils dilated so far, they almost cover her irises. She looks predatory, and so beautiful. Alex can’t look away, even as Brooke’s hand slides down over her ass, reaching between her legs and cupping her from behind. When she feels how wet she is, how easily Brooke’s fingers slide over her, she gives up all effort to try and control their lovemaking, following Brooke’s lead. 

Both of their hips begin rocking faster as Brooke’s fingers find her clit, rubbing small circles over it, pulling back to gather more moisture now and then. She keeps the pace slow and never stops gazing into Alex’s face. As Alex’s eyes slip close in a daze, it’s Brooke’s turn to beg, “Please Alex, look at me. I want to see you…” Alex tears her eyes open again, refocusing on Brooke as she pulls her fingers away again. A small moan falls from her lips, caught by Brooke leaning in for a taste. Alex is so ramped up she feels on fire, Brooke having held her on the edge of orgasm for the last ten minutes or so. Staring at her, Alex can’t resist asking one more time for what she wants, “Brooke, please, fuck me!” Brooke freezes for a minute then growls, diving onto Alex’s mouth, forcing her tongue in at the exact same moment she pushes two fingers inside her all the way to the knuckle. Alex screams in pleasure, throwing her head back and pushing herself deeper onto Brooke’s fingers. Brooke pushes her thigh as hard as she can into Alex’s clit from the front, her fingers impaling her from behind. Alex is in ecstasy. Every frantic movement of their hips, thrusting wildly together, spirals her pleasure rapidly upwards. Within seconds she’s coming, she hears Brooke’s guttural moan and knows she went over the edge with her. Brooke keeps them there with minute movements of her fingers and thigh, until they topple down the other side of the high together. Panting, sweaty, sated. 

Alex rolls away from Brooke slightly, twisting her torso until her shoulder are against the bed, “Wow!”” she breathes, stunned. Brooke rolls over, rearranging Alex’s legs, and straddles her lap. In one swift movement, she pulls her vest top off, throwing it away carelessly, unhooks her bra and does the same. Alex is speechless, looking up at this Goddess made flesh. Her mouth waters when she catches sight of a nipple ring in her left breast. Pulling Alex up by her hands, Brooke helps Alex sit up and lifts the hem of her t-shirt up and over her head, discarding it over the side of the bed, doing the same with Alex’s bra as well. Pushing her gently back down, she hovers over her, weight on her knees and hands either side of Alex’s hips and head. She smiles Alex’s new favourite smile, the one where she looks ready to eat her. “Save the wow’s for later, I’m not finished with you yet. We’ve got all morning,” she purrs, leaning down to devour Alex’s neck all over again. Alex leans back and holds Brooke to her, wondering if she would be able to walk after. After a particularly sensual bite between her neck and shoulder, she stops worrying about it and gives herself over to the sensations Brooke is evoking in her, a huge smile on her face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In defence of my gutter mind... 
> 
> Nope. Got nothing...I have no defence :-O

Alex and Brooke waited for the elevator together, Alex wriggling in discomfort. They'd finally managed to drag themselves out of bed to get ready for Hank's strategy meeting and we're now running slightly late. As the elevator doors opened and they walked in, Alex wriggled again. Catching sight of Brooke's self-satisfied grin in the reflection of the doors, she couldn't help a wry grin of her own.

"You can wipe that smug smile off your face!" 

Brooke snorted, "I told you your DEO fatigues would be comfier than those tight jeans."

"Yeah, but you love my ass in these jeans..."

Pulling Alex to her, Brooke kissed her lovingly, "I love your everything in anything!"

"Sweet talker," Alex said against her lips, "don't think I've forgotten it's your fault I'm so uncomfortable!"

"I'll make it up to you later," Brooke flirted.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to help," retorted Alex.

Brooke laughed, that deep belly laugh that Alex loved to hear and chased after so much. As the elevator slowed down, they pulled apart reluctantly, putting on their professional faces to enter the command centre. Hank, Kara, Lena, Winn, Maggie and James were waiting at the circular table. Alex raised her eyebrows at James' presence, not as much as Kara's rose when she carefully studied Alex's gait as she approached them. Alex hurried the last few steps and quickly poked her in the ribs, whispering, "later," quickly, before Kara embarrassed the hell out of her. Maggie took note of the closeness between her and Brooke and gave her a sweet smile. Alex smiled back and mouthed, “thank you” at her, eliciting a wide smile and a nod. It felt good to be able to be friends with Maggie again. She was great to have in your corner, as well as an excellent strategist, Alex was glad she was in on this planning session.

Hank made a point of mentioning that the meeting could start, now they were all here. Brooke winked at Alex and she spent the next five minutes trying not to blush. Winn explained how he had adapted the transmitter, making sure to mention how hard it was to achieve and that he could only speculate as to its efficiency. It was obvious he was worried about it not working when the moment came and he hesitated, waiting for kudos to bolster his confidence. Seeing Hank’s impatient look, Winn hurriedly went on to state how he hoped it would work. Kara would be dressed as Supergirl and lay down as if dead, Hank would shape shift to look like Kara in her reporter guise, wearing the now harmless ring, and show suitable distress. Kara coughed to cover a laugh at this, remembering Hank’s acting skills when he covered for her at Catco. 

When Winn triggered the transmitter to show a zero-pulse rate, Cadmus should come running to the location. Hank was to leave as Kara and re-enter as the Martian Manhunter, without being made, to preserve Kara’s identity. They would then capture the Cadmus soldiers and anyone else who turned up with, hopefully, minimal casualties. At this point, everyone looked at Lena, but she continued to act unfazed at the thought of her Mother being taken down. Discussion turned to numbers, weapons and location. James’ role was finally mentioned when Winn brought up the new and improved Guardian suit. He would be a part of the take down team. Kara looked distressed at the thought but held her tongue. 

Brooke started fidgeting and Hank excused all those not involved in pinpointing the location, which was the final hurdle to the operation. Alex had to stay and help Winn and Hank. She resented Kara for a moment, seeing her walk off with her arm linked through Lena’s, chatting away happily; especially when Brooke left as well, giving her a sympathetic look and running her hand across her back as she followed Kara and Lena. Hank cleared his throat and she hurriedly turned back to the task at hand. The sooner they sorted this, the quicker she could get back to Brooke.

Alex and Winn took a break a couple of hours later to stretch and get some food. Not being able to find Brooke at first, she was drawn to Hank’s office by loud voices. Walking in she found Kara, Lena and Hank arguing.

“I am the CEO of a multi-national corporation. I appreciate you keeping me safe, but I won’t have a company to go back to if I don’t check in!”

“It’s not safe until we take down Cadmus. You will stay here and…”

Kara butted in, “Hank, you can’t make her stay here, she’s done nothing wrong!”

“And when she’s killed by Cadmus for interfering with their plans?”

Kara went still for a moment, then quietly said, “I’ll protect her.”

“And when you have to go and stop a fire or save someone? What then, Kara? Who will protect her then? Because you know you can’t ignore it when people need help. It’s been killing you shut up in here for two days!”

Alex stepped in, standing between Hank and the two women. “Ok, there has to be solution here that we can all agree on. Lena won’t stay here, Kara you can’t protect her alone, and Cadmus is out there. Most likely they are looking for you and Joel, Kara, and your Mother has probably tried to reach you Lena.” Lena looked uncomfortable and nodded, “So, maybe we provide a protective detail while she’s at L-Corp so if Kara does have to leave she still has protection, and she doesn’t stay at hers, or Kara’s, in the evening, so they won’t know where to find her.”

All three started to look less like they were going to shout each other to death, so Alex nodded to them, telling them to sort out the details and let her know. Breathing a sigh of relief that she managed to deal with that hot mess, she went looking for someone who could make her a hot mess, smiling at the thought. When she found Brooke in Mon-El’s med-bay room, her smile faded. Brooke was sitting next to him, holding his hand, her face drawn and pained. Alex sat next to her, covering her hand with her own.

“He’s in so much pain Alex,” seeing Alex’s frantic inspection of the monitors and IV lines she shook her head, “No, emotional pain. He’s terrified. I can feel his fear, it’s primal.”

Settling back again, Alex leant her head against Brooke’s shoulder, giving her a one-armed hug. “We think he was brainwashed through hypnosis techniques that create a cause and effect equation in the mind. On the one side, tremendous fear, on the other…”

“A way to end that fear. In this case making him think he must Kill Kara and so on.”

“Yes,” sighed Alex sadly, “Hank’s tried so many times to get through to him. He says he can’t really hear any thoughts any more. Just screams of terror.” A tear leaked down Alex’s face, Brooke leant over and caught it with her lips, pressing a kiss against her cheek. “Come on, let’s go and get you something to eat. There is always hope Alex.”

“You sound like Kara,” she smiled, willingly following Brooke back out of the room to the canteen.

Kara and Lena joined them for lunch. Alex found out that Hank would approve the plan for Lena to finish the day at work, if they could find a suitable venue to stay at for the night. So far, he had vetoed all their suggestions including motels and Alex’s apartment. Alex gave Kara a look for volunteering her place without her knowing, Kara just gave her an innocent look, making Alex roll her eyes. She was such a soft touch when it came to Kara. Brooke explained that they could be traced at any of those locations, even if they paid in cash. She then offered the solution. Everyone could stay at hers. She wasn’t the registered owner and Cadmus never had any surveillance photos of the location. 

Kara happily bounced in her seat, thanking Brooke profusely. Lena also thanked her, after checking she was sure, just as grateful albeit a bit more subdued about it than Kara. Alex was not as thrilled. They had only just gotten intimate with each other, she had never been to Brooke’s place before herself, and now they were having house guests? Brooke felt her ire and flinched, giving her an apologetic smile, whispering in her ear that she would really, really, make it up to her. Alex couldn’t help but give in. Although, she did whisper back some ideas for how Brooke could make it up to her, causing a delightful blush to bloom on Brooke’s cheeks.

**********

Lena sat at her desk, focused intently on the computer screen, phone in one hand and typing with the other. She had been working solidly for three hours trying to clear the back log from the last two days. Kara was on the sofa, in her Supergirl outfit. For the first two hours, she had been vigilantly listening, constantly looking through the walls to check on the agents scattered around the building. That got boring fast after a whole lot of nothing happened. For the last hour, she had been watching Lena. Studying her profile. She got caught up comparing her eyes to different shades of blue, trying to figure out the exact shade of her lipstick, looking at the slope of her neck where her hair was lifted into a ponytail and wanting to…

“You’re staring Supergirl,” Lena said with a smirk, still looking at the screen. Kara startled, having been so caught up in her perusal, she had failed to notice Lena had finished the phone call. 

“I’m observing. Keeping an eye out for trouble, keeping you safe,” Kara nervously tried to cover for her blatant staring.

“Well, it’s very distracting.”

“Sorry,” Kara said, grinning. She deliberately turned her head to the walls and made a show of narrowing her eyes and doing a panoramic sweep of the building. Smiling, Lena went back to work. 

Ten minutes later, “You’re doing it again.”

Kara giggled and got up to walk out onto the balcony, “I’ll, erm, just be out here. Catching the last of the sun.” 

Determinedly not facing the office, Kara stands at the balcony, soaking up the rays that are her source of power. She can hear the clicking of the keyboard behind her. Trying to block it out, she lasts all of five minutes before she huffs and spins round. Now able to observe Lena through the glass from behind, her posture relaxes again. She watches the delicate play of muscles in her shoulders as she works, her eyes travelling up the smooth milky skin of her neck to her hairline. Before she can resist, her super speed has carried her back into the office and she finds herself standing less than an inch behind Lena’s chair. Lena stiffens, straightening up until her ponytail is brushing Kara’s chest. She can’t help herself, reaching out to run one finger down her neck and across her shoulder, revelling in the velvety skin beneath it.

Lena’s breath hitches and she grabs the arms of her chair until her knuckles show white. Kara, realising she just distracted Lena again, snatches her hand back and backs up to the glass window, about to stumble out apologies. Before she can, Lena spins in her chair to face her and rises in one smooth movement. She stalks the few paces to where Kara stands, frozen. As Kara goes to open her mouth to try and say sorry again, Lena’s hands shoot out and hold her head still as she slowly moves her face closer to Kara’s. Hopelessly fixated on the curve of Lena’s beautiful red lips, Kara nearly misses Lena’s next words, “I did warn you, Supergirl…” as she crosses the last few inches and captures Kara’s lips with her own. 

This kiss is not like the few innocent, exploratory kisses they had shared at the DEO. This kiss; this kiss curled Kara’s toes and made her moan in the back of her throat. This kiss had her arms wrapping tightly around Lena’s back, desperately trying to stay focused enough not to squeeze. But Rao, it was difficult to stay focused when Lena’s tongue was creating such amazing sensations in her mouth. It was hard, and sensual, and passionate. It made Kara’s knees weak and sent a direct signal to all her erotic zones. She had never felt such a perfect kiss before now. 

What felt like an eternity later, Lena pulled away from the kiss. Breathing heavily, she wiped the transferred lipstick from Kara’s mouth with her thumb. Kara just continued to stare at her. Lena smirked, “Will you go and sit down now? So I can get some work done?”

Grinning stupidly, Kara nodded, still beyond speech. Lena led her to the sofa and deposited her on one end, disappearing into a side room; Kara assumed to reapply her lipstick. She came back with a once again perfect mouth and a laptop. Giving the laptop to Kara she said, “Here, maybe if you distract yourself with research or writing I’ll be able to get finished some time tonight,” leaning over, she gave Kara a gentle kiss and went back to her desk, smiling. Kara turned the laptop on and settled in, sneaking peeks at Lena every now and then, just to remind herself that she hadn’t imagined it all.

Despite her determination to protect Lena, Kara fell asleep a few hours later. She slowly woke up when she felt a gentle pressure on the side of her head. Opening her eyes, she sees Lena perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning over her with a sweet smile and gently stroking her hair. 

“This is a nice way to wake up,” she says, returning Lena’s smile.

“I would love to wake you up like this all the time,” Lena muses. Kara’s eyes widen, she opens her mouth to respond, but she has literally no idea what to say.

Lena looks alarmed and pulls her hand back, “Sorry, was that too much?” She enquires, worriedly.

Kara sits up, grabbing Lena’s hands in hers to reassure her, “No, it was just very nice to hear,” Kara smiled and leant in to kiss Lena again, cupping her face. Lena leans into the kiss immediately, her hands coming up to hold Kara’s upper arms. Leaning back, Kara notices Lena looking at her own hand resting on her arm, biting her lip. Kara ducks her head to try and make eye contact again to ask what’s wrong, when Lena starts caressing her arms. When she looks back up, Kara’s breath hitches at the look of wanton desire on her face, “did I ever tell you I have a thing about strong arms?” Lena asked, her tone deep and sultry

Swallowing, Kara manages to squeak out, “Erm, no. No I don’t think you did…”

Lena looks away again, watching her hands as they squeeze Kara’s biceps, letting out an erotic little moan of desire at the same time. If Kara hadn’t already been sitting she’s sure she would have fallen over. Kara can’t help herself and flexes her arms slightly. Oh Rao, Kara gulps, there’s that noise again. Suddenly, Lena is pushing her backwards and swinging her leg over hers, which in that dress gives Kara a hell of a lot more to fantasise about whenever she daydreams about Lena. Which has been _a lot_ lately. Attaching her lips to Kara’s, Lena once more treats Kara to the kiss of a lifetime. Luckily, or unluckily from some perspectives, Kara’s phone starts to ring; managing to calm them down before they have sex for the first time in Lena’s office. Looking sheepish, Lena climbs off Kara and hands her the phone, before walking to the bar to pour water for them both. 

Kara looks at the screen and can’t decide whether to thank her sister, or kill her later. Answering, Alex asks if they are about ready to go as they have the cars in place for the multiple switch offs they’d planned, to throw off any surveillance. Checking with Lena, who nods and says five minutes, Alex says to wait in the office for her and she’d be there to help them prepare in five minutes. When Kara asked, “Prepare for what?” she realised she was talking to a dead phone.

Kara checked who it was before opening the door to Alex, mindful that she had been a bit remiss in her protective duties, being too busy daydreaming and kissing. Alex was wearing a blond wig and a dress, which freaked Kara out a bit. Then she got really freaked out when she realised she had to wear a brunette wig and a black business pants suit herself. Until Lena showed her the red wig and long maxi dress she had been given, and told Kara she’d look cute as a brunette, with a wink. Once they were changed, and the obligatory giggles were out of the way when they caught sight of each other’s new looks, they headed out, led by Alex. 

It was a whirlwind of hand offs in underground car parks. Every other car, they’d hide one of them by ducking down in the back seat, trading off with someone else for the next one. Twice they all changed wigs, once all of them were red heads and Kara couldn’t stop giggling at her sister. It really didn’t suit her. They drove in circles, figures of eight, fast then slow. When Alex was happy they weren’t being tailed, she directed them to the last handover and took the wheel herself this time. The four of them pulled up to Brooke’s flat in a beaten up old pick up, certain as they could be they were safe. Brooke opened the door, smiling with relief to see them. The smell of food wafted out and Kara’s stomach growled in a moment of perfect timing. Brooke laughed at her, ignoring her protests of how Lena hadn’t fed her for hours. Stepping aside, she invited them all in to her temporary safe-house.

**********

Brooke offered to go and serve the take out while they nosed around. The flat was deceptively spacious, with a living room, separate kitchen, bathroom, main bedroom and a second bedroom. The smaller bedroom was south facing, as was the living room. Presumably to get the daylight as the room was converted into a studio. They commented over the pictures on display for a while, all in graphite, ranging from beloved pets to fantasy art such as dragons. Kara was especially enamoured of a fantasy landscape with huge, blocky cliffs and a turbulent sea set under a stormy sky. She said it reminded her of Krypton. Lena and Kara moved on to look at the rest of the flat, but Alex was drawn to a corner of the room where a load of canvases had been draped with dust cloths. 

Pulling the corner of the cloth up she was startled to see her own visage staring back at her. Looking through several more, they were all of her. Each picture was beautifully drawn, Alex could see a painstaking amount of effort had gone into them. Most of them looked set in Noonan’s; waiting at the coffee counter or seated in a booth. The day Brooke had first met her. She looked radiant in all of them, it was obvious they had been crafted with love in every stroke of the pencil. She felt tears well up at this proof of how devoted Brooke was to her, even from the start. Hearing a rapid intake of breath behind her, she turned to see Brooke looking at her anxiously. 

“I’m not a stalker, I swear! I just, I didn’t think I’d ever get to see you again, but I couldn’t get you out of my head. So, I drew you instead. It helped. Helped me not miss you I mean. I know it sounds weird but honestly I didn’t…”

Dropping the cloth back in place, Alex strode over to Brooke and silenced her with a kiss. Resting her head against Brooke’s forehead she whispered, “You never need to apologise for those pictures, I only wish you had spoken to me that day.” Brooke smiled wistfully at her, wishing she could have had the courage to as well, knowing now Alex would never have rejected her for her perceived failings at the time. The moment was interrupted by Kara, bouncing past the room pulling a chuckling Lena by the hand, insisting they all sit down to eat because she was _starving_.

Dinner was pleasant, all of them talking easily with each other, despite their different backgrounds and experiences. Lena and Brooke started talking about England; Brooke having been born there in her universe and Lena having visited the England in this universe many times for business purposes. Alex and Kara offered to clean up in the kitchen as they got lost in swapping stories about different places they had visited, and if they existed here or not. As they finished putting away dishes, Kara turned to Alex with an evil smile.

“So, was it just me? Or were you having difficulty walking this morning?” She asked with a snigger. Alex, of course, immediately blushed, confirming all Kara’s suspicions and making her squeal with delight. Alex flicked the tea towel at her, not phasing Kara at all as she continued to mercilessly tease her. Holding her head in her hands she gave in, “Alright, alright. Yes, we had sex and it was amazing. And I’m smitten. And it’s going to take a few days before we can do that again because, boy has she got stamina, and I can only take so many simultaneous orgasms one after the other” Alex finished, laughing.

Kara swept Alex up into her arms, pleased to see her sister so happy at last. Alex’s last words finally registered in her head and she jumped back, “Wait, what? Simultaneous?” her mouth dropped open. 

“Mm Hm,” One hand on her hip, the other leaning on the counter, she faced Kara and smugly said, “Touch. Empath. Need I say more?”

“Oh Rao,” breathed Kara, her eyes dancing, “How did you get so lucky?” she asked, straight back in teasing mode.

“I know, right?” 

They fell into each other, laughing hysterically, until they saw Lena and Brooke leaning in the doorway. Lena was looking at Kara in confusion, but Brooke had a smug smirk on her face. When Alex looked at her enquiringly, she touched her finger to her ear and tapped it, winking. Oh God, Alex forgot she had enhanced hearing as well. Blushing, she smirked back and shrugged. She always shares everything with Kara. Might as well let Brooke get used to it now. Brooke didn’t seem to mind, gathering her up and planting a kiss on her right in front of the other two, before bringing up sleeping arrangements. 

There was the double bed in the main bedroom, and a pull-out bed in the living room. Lena insisted on having the pull-out, saying that Brooke had given them a place to stay, she wouldn’t let her give up her bed as well. Kara seemed quite wide eyed throughout the proceedings. It took a while for Alex to realise she was worried about sleeping in the same bed as Lena. When she and Lena went to get changed into sleepwear while Brooke made the bed up, Alex realised Lena must have said something that reassured her as she looked much calmer when they came back into the living room. Saying goodnight, Alex then felt her own worries surface. How would she manage to sleep in the same bed as Brooke and keep her hands to herself?

Alex came out of the bathroom in her pyjama’s and let herself into Brooke’s room. She shut the door and looked towards the bed, and stopped dead. Brooke was sitting up, propped against her pillows and reading. Naked. Alex tried to make her feet move. Nothing. Brooke glanced up and immediately jumped off the bed, face full of concern, coming to Alex to hold her arms and worriedly ask what was wrong. Alex slammed her eyes shut and refused to reach out to hold her back. Swallowing, she squeaked out, “You’re naked!”

Brooke looked down, confused, “Yes. I always sleep naked. Alex, are you ok?”

Alex finally opened her eyes, willing them to stay at eye level to Brooke, “Brooke, my sister is in the other room. My sister who has super hearing! Please get dressed before I do something she might need therapy for.” Alex begged.

Brooke smiled evilly, and stepped closer, rubbing her naked breasts against Alex’s thin pyjama top. Alex groaned and her head smacked back against the door. Licking her way up from Alex’s collar bone to her ear, Brooke whispered, “We’ll just have to be very, very, quiet.” Alex gave in, she was helpless to resist Brooke once she was touching her. Whether that was because of the touch empathy or just because it was Brooke, Alex didn’t know and didn’t care. She was still too sore to be touched though. Grabbing Brooke’s shoulders, she spun them around until Brooke was against the door. Smiling triumphantly, she quickly silenced any protest with a kiss. When she could feel Brooke trembling, she left her mouth and travelled down, stopping to lavish plenty of attention on her breasts. She loved to suck her nipple ring and as much of her breast as she could into her mouth, then pull back slowly, letting it pop out from between her lips before she caused any pain. Brooke seemed to love it too, spreading her legs either side of one of Alex’s and grinding down, trying to create friction where she needed it most. 

Remembering the first tortuous, albeit explosive, lovemaking session they’d had, where Brooke dragged out her orgasm to epic proportions, Alex decided to try and return the favour. Moving from between her thighs, she used both her legs to press against Brookes, stopping her from getting any closer. Feeling the change, Brooke looked down at her. Seeing the challenge in Alex’s eyes she grinned and leant back against the door. Surrendering willingly. Alex took her sweet time, kissing every inch of exposed skin she could reach, avoiding all the erogenous zones she knew would reduce Brooke to jelly. Eventually, even through the slow build up, Alex could feel Brooke hovering on the edge. Sinking to her knees, she heard Brooke gasp. 

Looking up at her, she saw the question in Brooke’s expression. In response, she smiled lovingly back at her and leant forward, nervously licking gently at the source of her pleasure. Brooke let out a strangled moan, one hand going to Alex’s head and tangling in her hair, holding her in place. The other hand went to the dresser next to the door and wrapped around the edge of it, holding on for dear life. Alex’s confidence sky rocketed and she spent a few minutes experimenting with different paces and touches. The sound Brooke made when she circled her clit with her tongue, applying as much pressure as she could, convinced her she was on the right track. She could feel Brooke was about to come and knew she’d come at the same time. She didn’t want to push her over the edge without feeling her. Raising her right hand, she pushed two fingers deep inside her, dropping her left hand to stroke her own clit gently, she was too sensitive for more. Within seconds Brooke was pumping her pelvis erratically and moaning. She shoved a hand in her mouth to stifle the noises and Alex felt Brooke’s walls clamping down on her fingers as she felt her own sex convulse. Brooke slid down the door into her arms, both clinging to each other in a crumpled heap.

As they came back to themselves, they could hear a chirping. Alex’s message alert. Mouthing oops, thinking she’d missed a text from Hank, Alex stood up on shaky legs and checked her phone. She had two messages waiting for her. As soon as she read the first one, she blushed so hard it looked like her entire body was flushed. Brooke dragged herself off the floor and went to look over her shoulder to read it, breaking out in laughter as soon as she did. Then she opened the second message and collapsed in hysterics on the bed, even as Alex looked even more mortified:

_23:54_  
_Will you two stop it? I have super hearing you know!_

_00:12_  
_Alex, for Rao’s sake, please stop whatever you’re doing to her or I swear I’m going to come in there and freeze breath the pair of you!_


	14. Chapter 14

Brooke made bacon and eggs the next morning. She and Lena chatted and laughed together, totally at ease. Alex and Kara, however, were subdued. When everyone had eaten their fill, the two sisters were still avoiding eye contact. Lena watched them for a while. She’d seen Brooke sigh a few times whilst glaring pointedly at Alex, who had studiously pretended to not see her. She finally had enough when Kara asked Lena to pass her the juice, despite it being nearer Alex. She banged her coffee cup down on the table, jerking everyone’s attention to her. Looking between Alex and Kara she asked, “Do one of you want to tell us what’s going on?” Both mumbled answers in the negative. Brooke sighed again.

“Kara overheard us having sex last night with her super hearing. I have no idea why they’re acting like this now though,” Brooke blurted out, despite the glares from both parties, fed up with their avoidance of each other. Standing, she cleared the plates and turned to Lena, “how about I show you my drawings while they work it out?” Lena rolled her eyes and got up, kissing Kara on the lips as she passed on her way out with Brooke.

Silence reigned. Alex picked at a splinter on the table. Kara fiddled with the salt. 

“Sorry…” they both said at the same time. Starting to laugh, they finally made eye contact, both blushing at the same time as well. 

“I’m sorry we embarrassed you Kara. We should have waited… I just… we couldn’t...”

“Alex, it’s fine. If you had a normal sister, you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

“Kara! You are normal to me! And you’re the best sister I could ever want.” Alex spoke forcefully, never wanting Kara to feel like she was a burden again, not after how Alex treated her when she first arrived to live with them. Kara gave her a watery smile and Alex got up to move around the table, sitting next to her, “Kara?”

In a small voice, Kara mumbled, “Alex, I’m not a good sister. I wanted you to stop, because it was making it hard to lay there, and not…you know. But, she told me she just wanted to sleep, when we went to get changed. So, I felt I couldn’t…” Kara trailed off on a sigh. Alex caught on quickly and hugged her sister. 

“Kara, she really likes you. When you’re both ready, I’m sure it will be perfect.”

“You think so?” asked Kara, hopefully. 

“I do, honestly,” she thought for a moment, then giggled, “and when you do, just remember Brooke has enhanced hearing too!” 

Kara snorted, “Revenge will be sweet!” She said, giggling even harder when Brooke walked in and mock glared at Alex, poking her tongue out at her.

They all checked in with the DEO. Hank told them they’d narrowed down the possible locations to host Operation Venus to five. They would check three out today and two tomorrow, then planning would focus on the chosen venue on Tuesday. If given the green light by all team leaders, they would launch the mission on Tuesday night. Alex breathed a sigh of relief at thinking Kara and Lena might be safe by Wednesday morning. Three more days she could handle. Looking over their shoulder for the rest of their life? Not so much. Hank agreed for Lena and Kara to stay at Brooke’s for the day. The next two days would see a contingent of agents and Supergirl escorting Lena to L-Corp again, while the rest of them planned.

Kara wasn’t too happy about being kept out of the venue vetting, until Alex said she wasn’t going in either. Brooke invited them to browse her extensive DVD collection and have a movie marathon. Alex whispered in her ear and Brooke started smiling, suddenly deciding that she and Alex would be going for a walk in the park instead. She told them to make themselves at home, being sure to give Kara a specific time to expect them back with a wink. Gathering backpacks for a few hours out, Brooke waited until they were far enough up the road before laughing with Alex about how Kara had looked like a rabbit caught in headlights when they said they were leaving them alone together.

 

**********

 

Brooke had brought a sketch pad and was happily drawing the ducks on the pond. Alex had a book she borrowed from the thousands Brooke had in bookshelves all around her studio. She felt more content that she ever had before. This feeling of peace felt too good to be true, but contrary to how she normally dealt with her moments of happiness in the past, she was trying to let herself enjoy every second of it. Something about being with Brooke made her feel free. Like she could just be herself, try anything, be anything, because she always had a safe place to come home to now. That thought started her off on a whole different tangent. She hadn’t really talked about the future with Brooke. So much had been going on they hadn’t had time to do anything else but live in the moment. Looking at her from the corner of her eye, she wondered about their goals. Wondered whether, when they got down to the nitty gritty of their needs and wants, would they still be as compatible?

Brooke smiled without looking up from her pad, “Alex, you’re thinking so hard I can hear it.”

When she didn’t get a response straight away, Brooke lowered the pad to look at her. It was Alex’s turn to smile when she saw Brooke had given up on the ducks and had started drawing her again.

“Stalker,” she teased, shifting over on the bench to be closer to her.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so irresistible,” Brooke retorted, lifting her arm for Alex to snuggle in.

Alex watched her shade her hair in the picture for a few minutes, then her curiosity got the better of her, “What do you want in the future Brooke? I mean, for us?” Alex asked, looking up at her.

Brooke raised an eyebrow, “Where did that come from?” she asked, perplexed. When Alex just carried on looking at her, obviously wanting an answer to her previous question, her brow wrinkled in thought for a second, “I just want you to be happy, Alex.”

“I am happy,” Alex reassured her. She hesitated, picking at a seam on Brooke’s jeans, “Can you see yourself with me, long term?”

“Alex, you already know it’s been you for me, and only you, for the last two years and then some. If I can hold out for you with no hope of ever seeing you again, I reckon I can hang around now you’re telling me you’re happy to be with me.” She laughed.

“But, we haven’t really discussed what we both want, in the future I mean. Like, do you want kids? A house or a flat? A dog? A Cat? Both?”

“Alex,” Brooke turned slightly towards her to make sure she could see her face clearly, “I want a future with you, I want a life with you. What that life looks like isn’t important for me to know right now, because I know whatever shape it takes, we’ll make it together. There might be kids, there might not, there might be a house or maybe a flat, or a dog or a cat, or both,” Alex laughs with Brooke when she hears her own words spoken back to her. “As long as I’m with you and you’re happy, I’m happy. The rest we can work out, we’ll talk to each other and find a way to support each other in whatever we want or need.”

Alex cups her face and draws Brooke into a long lingering kiss. She no longer cares that it’s not even been two weeks since she met Brooke properly. All she knows is that Brooke fills that space inside her. That space that waits for the right shape of partner to come along and complete the puzzle. Brooke fills that space, and it’s a perfect fit.

 

**********

 

Monday morning found them all back in the DEO, minus Lena and Kara who were at L-Corp. Winn and Hank had settled on a warehouse that was in the process of changing ownership. It had a ground and first floor, boardwalks around the edges of the first floor gave an excellent view of the floor below. DEO agents could line the upper walkways. The ground floor still had small freight containers waiting to be removed and various other paraphernalia scattered about from the export company that had owned it previously, giving good cover for the agents on the ground. Less cover was available outside, but agents posted on the rooves of the surrounding buildings could use tranquiliser rifles. Everyone would be equipped with tranquiliser guns as their primary weapon. These people were humans after all. A secondary weapon with low gauge bullets would be carried as a back up to try and reduce fatalities, no one should use them unless ordered to by one of the team leaders. 

At lunchtime, Kara and Lena popped by to check in and go over the plans. Everyone studied the blueprints again and they both agreed it was a good location. Hank sent a team to double check and secure it before tomorrow night’s operation. Then, Hank dropped a bombshell; he had assigned Winn, Lena and Brooke to a safe-house. Winn would remotely survey the missions and feed intel from CCTV and cameras mounted on the warehouse itself. Brooke and Lena would be safe. Kara was pleased her friend and the woman she was starting to fall for would be safe. Brooke was livid.

“There is no way I am sitting out the night at a safe-house, Hank!” she spat. Alex noted it was the first time she hadn’t given him his title out of respect, wincing internally.

“You are untrained and a liability,” he countered.

“Untrained? Really? I could kick your ass from here to England and back again!”

“This is not a discussion, it is done!” 

“Oh, it’s done. Just as soon as you meet me in the training room and then admit I’m an asset.” 

Alex’s curiosity was roused, she had never seen Brooke fight before, but she had seen Hank. With his shapeshifting and teleportation, he was nearly undefeatable. Hank glared at Brooke for a minute. She just stood there, returning his glare in spades, determined to prove herself. He grudgingly nodded and led the way. Everyone at the command table followed along, intent on not missing one second of the confrontation. 

Brooke stood one side of the training circle, arms relaxed at her sides, hands hanging loosely. She was wearing her signature vest top, swapping her jeans for DEO fatigues and boots. She looked calm and in total control. Hank stood on the other side, eyes narrowed at Brooke and hands raised in a fighting stance.

“Fight!” called Kara.

Hank immediately rushed Brooke. Who seemed to just stand still, completely un-phased, until the last minute. She then shot to opposite side that Hank had feinted to and back handed him, pushing him from the edge of the circle. Alex started to grin.

“Lucky first move,” grumbled Hank, climbing back into the circle. Brooke just winked at Alex and crossed to the opposite side, waiting calmly again. Hank morphed into his Martian self and literally flew at her, Alex went to open her mouth to shout that she wouldn’t be required to fight people that could fly, just humans on the ground. Before she could, Brooke had scooted underneath him, skidding back onto her feet behind him. Her wings unfurled in less than a second and she rose about six feet from the platform, locking her legs around Hank’s neck and spinning into a backwards somersault. She released her hold on him at the apex of her turn and Hank went flying into the wall. He came straight at her again, she just made a ‘bring it’ gesture. Kara sidled over to Alex and whispered, “It looks like she’s enjoying this…” Alex grinned, “Enjoying handing Hank his ass you mean.” She replied, as Hank sailed over their heads again, this time hitting the control panel near the door and causing sparks to fly.

Hank eventually put his hands up in surrender. Brooke grinned and helped him to his feet, “Point proven?” she asked. Hank nodded reluctantly. Alex came up to them and asked her how she avoided him, even when he had teleported. 

“My wings are really sensitive to air flow, when he moves fast or disappears they feel the air rush to fill the displacement he left. So, I know which way he’s heading when he rushes me, and when he teleports and goes to reappear…” 

Alex interrupted excitedly, “you can feel the displacement of air being pushed aside?” Brooke nodded, smiling happily. 

Hank huffed and walked towards the exit, “Brooke, you’re in charge of the two teams on the perimeter. Brooke ginned happily and hugged Alex tight, relieved she would be there with her that night, even if she wasn’t inside the warehouse with her.

Last minute details took up the rest of the day. Winn assigned tech to every agent involved in the operation. All agents would wear a specially created radio that worked on an oscillating frequency so no one could listen in. Winn would track all comings and goings to the warehouse through CCTV and the installed surveillance cameras. He had also built Kara a belt, that she could wear over her suit without it being too obvious. He shyly told her it would protect her against Kryptonite and the new mutated K-G. Kara was so pleased she swept him up in a hug, making him gasp for air. Tranquiliser guns were given out as well as a twenty-two to each agent. Brooke was offered a gun, but declined. When Alex asked after the meeting, she admitted she hadn’t ever used a gun, except for clay pigeon shooting when she was younger, and they didn’t have time to train her. 

“Something the amazing Brooke Knight can’t do?” Alex teased.

“There are lots of things I can’t do,” protested Brooke. At Alex’s disbelieving expression, she grabbed her and started to tickle, “Like resisting you for example. Nope, can’t do that.” Kara walked in just as Alex was starting to beg for mercy and piled in to torture her sister too, Lena standing in in the doorway watching fondly. They all knew they were blowing off steam, trying to not think about tomorrow’s mission. It felt good to a have a moment of levity.

 

**********

The four of them retreated to Brooke’s apartment Monday night. Alex picked up Kara and Lena, all of them bored of having to go through the rigmarole of having to car switch and disguise themselves again. The sooner this was finished the better. Dinner was a more sombre affair than the previous night. Conversation was stilted. Everyone’s thoughts centring mostly on what tomorrow would bring. After refuelling, Brooke and Alex went to relax in the bedroom, giving Kara and Lena the living room for as much privacy as could be afforded under the circumstances. Alex lay half on top of Brooke while she stroked her hair. She was troubled and Brooke knew it. Alex didn’t want her there, Brooke wouldn’t stay away. There wasn’t a solution. Alex suspected Brooke had just not brought up that she could feel Alex’s conflict to avoid the inevitable argument. Instead, she had been attentive all night, little touches, gentle kisses, always by her side. Alex sighed. Getting up, she went into the bathroom and ran a bath, putting in all the relaxing baths salts and tonics she could find. Returning to the bedroom she could see Brooke’s quizzical look and just nodded her head towards the bathroom. 

“Come on,” Alex held out her hand to her, “We’re going to take a bath together.”

Brooke smiled and eagerly joined her. Once in the bathroom they turned to each other. Brooke went to speak, Alex quickly covered her fingers with her lip and shook her head. Brooke smiled, kissing her fingertip and nodded her understanding. They didn’t need words right now. Undressing each other slowly, Alex got into the bath first, Brooke climbed in after settling between her legs. They just sat for a while, enjoying each other’s skin and the heat. Alex could feel the tension oozing out of her. 

Picking up a soap bar, she lathered her hands and reached for Brooke. Starting at her neck she reverently bathed her, in total silence. When she had finished, Brooke took the soap from her and, equally as reverently, began to bathe Alex. Replacing the soap on its stand, Brooke turned to Alex and wrapped her arms around her. Laying back together, hands began to roam, sensually, but without the frantic appetite they had previously been consumed by. This wasn’t about sex, it was about love. Alex worshipped Brooke with her hands and Brooke worshipped her in return. Their movements were gentle, considered. Each touch was an affirmation of what the other meant to them. Tiny gasps and whispers of encouragement were the only noises in the room, other than the placid lapping of the water against the sides of the bath. Dipping their hand between each other’s legs, they completed each other in the same slow, sensual manner. Holding each other after until the water began to chill them. 

Languid, they both relaxed on top of the covers after drying off. Content to lay together, entangled in each other’s arms. Looking up, Alex noticed Brooke was frowning slightly, determined to replace it with the look of relaxation she’d had when in the bath, Alex leant over and took her nipple into her mouth. Brooked flinched and pulled away. Alex was shocked at the harsh deflection, withdrawing to the other side of the bed with a hurt look on her face. Brooke realised what she had done and scrambled to chase Alex across the bed.

“No, no. Alex, never. I wasn’t rejecting you! It’s just…”

“Just what?” Alex bit at her, still smarting from the flinch. 

Brooke groaned and covered her eyes with her arm, “Maybe you should text your sister,” she stated, starting to laugh.

“Kara? Why? Oh my God, she’s not?” Alex gasped, eyes shining.

“Oh, she is!” Brooke admitted, “Now she’s giggling because she knows I can hear them. You are an evil kid sister Kara!” Brooke said, raising her voice on the last bit to make damn sure Kara heard it.

Alex fell about laughing, relieved that Brooke had only been reluctant to start something when she felt uncomfortable at hearing Kara and Lena. It warmed her heart to hear Brooke call Kara her sister, too. Rising from the bed, she clicked on the sound system, selecting a station playing instrumental jazz and turning the volume up a bit so it was a light background noise. Brooke’s frown eased and she smiled her thanks, getting under the covers. Alex joined her a second later, moving in to snuggle but not starting anything else, content to drift to sleep with the woman she loved in her arms.

 

**********

Tuesday evening came around fast. Alex and Brooke spent most of the afternoon together, not wanting to be out of sight of the other. Kara and Lena had shown up around seven and they had all eaten together. Staying near each other in the recreation room afterwards, being close to those they cared about, murmuring quietly to each other. Winn, Lena and the tech team were due to leave at ten o’clock. Alex, James and Brody as co-leaders and Brooke would head out at eleven when Winn gave the all clear for set up. Alex was leading the team that would cover the ground floor. Brody and James would be on the first floor, and Brooke outside on perimeter guard.

Kara put the belt on, it’s blue and red striation helping it blend against her suit. Both Alex and Winn reassuring her it was effective against tests on the Kryptonite and K-G they have in DEO lock up, and that it’s battery power would last two days if needed. Alex briefed all the teams again. Once in place, Winn would contact Alex when he has sent the signal to Cadmus. Alex will then key the radio to alert all the teams. From that point on radio silence is required until Hank gives the go-ahead signal, which was him screaming that Supergirl was dead. Winn sniggered and everyone looked at him, “Sorry, just the thought of Hank screaming like a girl. It tickled me,” he muttered. James started sniggering too, until Hank glared at them both and they piped down.

“As I was saying. Remember, tranqs first and foremost,” Hank reiterates, looking each agent in the eye, “Unless you believe loss of life will occur due to their use of force, then switch to live rounds. But, you are to incapacitate, do not go for a kill shot!” Nods and affirmations rang out all around the room. Hank nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s do this!”

 

Arriving at the location, all the teams spread out and assume their positons, like a well-oiled machine. Brooke and Alex exchange one more glance as Alex heads into the warehouse, Brooke extends her wings and flies up to the top of the warehouse opposite their one, waiting with the snipers. Alex gets settled into position, saying a little prayer for everyone she cares about here tonight, then waits for Winn’s alert. 

At twenty to midnight, as prearranged, Alex receives the message from Winn and hits the radio mike twice, alerting all teams they are a go and the signal has been sent. Every agent stiffens, alertness in every muscle and eyes bright, waiting for them to show. At ten to midnight, Alex receives another message from Winn, despite the radio silence. Just the number ten and an exclamation mark. She frowns, then turns her attention back to the doors, not able to spend time deciphering his cryptic message right now. 

Brooke watches as a string of SUVs and vans get closer to their location. She counts ten vehicles in all. What the hell have they called down on themselves? They expected one or two vans to pick up Supergirl's body, not this cavalcade… Brooke decides she has to try and warn Alex, waiting inside with no idea what kind of storm is about to show up. She keys her radio mike softly, ten times, hoping she’ll understand. Getting settled into a crouch that she can launch from easily, she steadies herself, waiting for the shit to hit the fan. 

The vehicles pull to a stop, ranging round the location in a half circle. Soldiers pour from each one, fanning out around the building. Four teams make a beeline directly to the main doors. Brooke does a quick count. There must be at least twenty to twenty-five soldiers heading inside and at least seventy or so left outside. Why would they send so many? It didn’t make sense. She waits with bated breath for Hank’s signal.

As soon as Hank sees the soldiers come through the partially open door, he knows something is up. There are too many of them. Sticking with the plan for lack of anything better he screams out, in Kara’s voice, “She’s dead, help her!” All the soldiers raise their weapons just as the DEO agents reveal themselves and take aim, including Alex who is directly behind Kara and Hank, sheltered by empty metal barrels. The DEO agents open fire with their tranquiliser guns from the ground and first floor, the first wave of soldiers start to drop just as Hank hears gunfire from outside. Kara goes to stand, ready to take out her share of soldiers, when an armoured alien glowing with an ominous green light moves to the front. The alien takes aim with a weapon Hank has never seen before and he tries to shout a warning. Before he can, he and Kara are hit with a bolt of energy that burns through their nerve endings, throwing them to the floor. 

Kara’s belt explodes and she looks at Hank, panicked. Realising the green glow is Kryptonite and without her belt she’s susceptible, Hank turns from the fight, grabbing Kara up into his arms and running out the back of the warehouse. Flying her a few buildings away he commands her to stay there, morphing into his Martian self and flying back to join the melee. Neither of them noticed the arcs of energy that sparked off them as they were hit and the weapons stray energy beams, hitting the barrels behind them. Neither of them noticed Alex being thrown backwards into the wall. Neither of them noticed, Alex left unconscious on the floor of the warehouse, surrounded by Cadmus soldiers.

Outside, Brooke is desperately trying to keep the other six teams from converging on warehouse. She has already been shot multiple times and was weakening through blood loss. The DEO agents had long since switched to real bullets when they saw the fire power they were facing. In the chaos, Brooke suspected they were shooting at anything they could, not caring whether they killed anyone. She could sympathise, all she wanted was to get into the warehouse and see if Alex was ok. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Cadmus soldiers scaling the warehouse walls, presumably to get to the first-floor agents. Dispatching the last of the soldiers in front of her she turns towards them, getting blocked by another three soldiers coming at her. God, there seemed to be never ending amounts of them.

As she’s fighting for her life, Brooke sees a huge alien in armour carrying something out of the warehouse towards a van. Distracted, she nearly gets a bullet to her eye, dodging it at the last moment. As the alien turns to open the van door, Brooke realises it’s Alex he’s carrying. Shock ripples through her, within less than a second adrenaline floods her system. Her eyes glow amber and she roars in anger. She starts running towards the van, ploughing through anyone that gets in her way, focused only on reaching Alex. Soldiers are flung from her in all directions, bodies landing everywhere and bones cracking, soldiers screaming in agony. Brooke doesn’t hear any of it. Doesn’t hear anything but the pounding in her ears. No one else seems to have noticed what’s going on. Her vision narrows down, focused on the alien and Alex. Brooke clearly sees when the alien raises his hand to his ear and speaks into a mike on his collar.

A shot rings out. Brooke drops like a sack of potatoes to the floor, skidding a few feet from her momentum. She was so close to Alex. She landed facing them and can see as the alien grins and shoves Alex into the back of the van, getting in with her and slamming the door. Why can’t she move? She doesn’t understand why her body won’t respond to her desperate need to save Alex. Until she feels blood running down from the top of her head. The snipers! The alien must have told them exactly where to shoot and they managed to lodge a bullet in the only place that could stop her, her motor cortex. Until her body can push it out and repair the nerve and synapse damage, she can’t move anything that needs a conscious signal to command it. No voluntary muscle control at all. From previous experience, she knows it will take a few hours to repair the brain damage. She can’t even call out for help, because she can’t control her lips or jaw, she can only moan incoherently.

Her heart feels like it’s being ripped from her torso and crushed beneath the wheels of the van that’s taking Alex from her. Tears pour from her eyes. Helpless to do anything but watch as they drive off with the person who has come to mean more to her than her own life. In her head, frustrated screams echo as she rails against her powerlessness; the same words, over and over again… No! Alex…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, there's only one more chapter left *waits for the gasps of shock and horror* 
> 
> I know, right?
> 
> It's been a blast writing this. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're all still enjoying it, comments and feedback are always welcome ;)
> 
> R x


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, its the end of the road folks. Thanks for reading and coming on this journey with me. I've loved every minute of it.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ;)
> 
> R x

Kara was standing in the centre of the room, screaming at Hank, “How? How did they know? How did we let this happen?” Kara’s face was red with emotion, her tears running unheeded down her cheeks, “Hank, how did they get Alex? Why Alex? Why would they take her…” Kara’s voice broke and she bent forward, as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. Lena rushed in to hold her, wrapping her arms around her waist, lending her strength and support. 

Hank was sombre, “Because…” he has to pause to clear his throat, looking up for a moment, as if blinking back tears, “because taking her gets them everyone they want.”

“What do you mean?” Kara chokes out.

“We’ve been fools!” Hank exploded, making everyone jump. “They knew from the moment we took Joel that we were on to them. They’ve been ready this whole time. They probably have surveillance of Alex with Brooke as well! They took her to get all three of us.” Hank loved Alex like a daughter. He was furious that Cadmus was ahead of them the whole time and now had Alex in their grasp. 

“Winn?” he turns to their IT specialist, who looks almost as emotionally wrought as Kara, “have we got anything to help us find them?”

Looking like he wishes he had any other answer but the one he has, he closes his eyes, wincing. “No, Sir.” 

A sound from the corridor has them all turning sharply, still jumpy. Brooke is hanging onto the wall, looking haggard, “Alex?” she asks, hope glinting in her eyes. Kara looks devastated as she shakes head. Brooke's face blanks and she slumps. Kara rushes over to her, holding her up as much as comforting her.

“We’ll find her Brooke. We will. Alex is a fighter. There’s always hope,” she vows.

 

**********

 

Alex regained consciousness slowly. She felt like she’d been run over, every muscle ached. It took three attempts to open her eyes and keep them open. When she could finally focus, she realised she was in a cell. Dragging herself to her feet, she did the obligatory search of the cell to see if she could use anything as a weapon or to escape. She knew it was futile. After five minutes, she had found nothing other than the slatted bars across the face of the cell, and they were deeply implanted and sealed. She sank down against the far wall from the door, conserving her energy.

The noise of a hydraulic door roused Alex, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed. She dragged herself to her feet, not wanting to look vulnerable. A woman came to a stop in front of her cell, flanked by two soldiers, one of whom had a control in his hand. 

“Alex Danvers. This would have been much easier had you agreed to my offer that day.” 

“What makes you think I want to make anything easy for you?” Alex taunted her, recognising her as Lena’s Mother, and the woman that had tried to turn her.

“Oh, my dear, I certainly don’t want you to go easy now. It’s too late for that, as your father will tell you.” She responded, infuriatingly calm.

Alex couldn’t help but take the bait. Her father was her weakness, and this bitch knew it, “What’s my Dad got to do with this?”

Lillian Luthor nodded to one of the guards. He pressed a button on his control and the right-hand wall of her cell became transparent. Looking over, she saw a man huddled in the middle of the floor. He’d been beaten and was covered in blood and bruises. Looking closer, Alex gasped when she realised it was her father, “Dad!”

Lillian laughed cruelly, “Yes. He made the mistake of trying to save his other, more spectacular, daughter.” Alex stares at her in shock. “Did you really think we didn’t know, you naive girl? We’ve known who you and your sister are ever since your father came to work for us!”

Jeramiah manages to turn to his side to see who’s speaking. As soon as he catches sight of Alex, his one good eye widens in horror, “Alex? No... you shouldn't be here, not you. Stayed here for you… to protect you both." 

Alex crosses to the wall, crying as she calls out for the man she’s been missing for the last thirteen years "Dad!" Pressing her hands to the glass, wanting to comfort him. 

The wall becomes opaque again, “No! Dad?!”

“Let’s make sure the soundproofing is on, yes? Don’t want them spilling any little secrets to each other, do we?”

The sound of her father crying her name is muted as Lillian and the guards walk away. Alex feels broken. Her father is so close and yet so far away. She sobs, praying with everything she has that somehow Brooke will find her and help her save her father.

 

**********

 

Everyone was at DEO headquarters, strategising. Their plans were going nowhere without a target though, and Winn was bearing the brunt of the pressure to find something, anything. Suddenly, a lab technician comes running right into their midst up to Hank and whispers in his ear, his face white with shock. Face registering the same shock, Hank takes off back to the med-bay with the technician. Kara, Lena, Maggie, Lucy, James and Winn chasing after them, at a loss as to what could be so urgent. Entering the med bay, they all come to sudden stop when they see Mon-El, awake, talking to a doctor. Another doctor and a technician are picking Brooke up off the floor and placing her tenderly on a bed next to his. Kara takes the lead, slowly approaching Mon-El. He looks exhausted, but he manages to give Kara a weak smile. Hand shooting up to her mouth she tries to stifle a sob. 

“Hey,” he croaks, “it’s ok Kara. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” Kara realises he misinterpreted her sob as worry, rather than the joy she feels at seeing him awake after nearly seven months. She throws her arms around him. Mon-El looks at the rest of them, puzzled.

Hank steps up, clearing his throat, “Mon-El, do you remember what happened to you?”

Kara leans back to study his response. He looks around, “I remember being captured. They did things to me, painful things, horrible things,” he shivers, “I tried to kill you all!” He says, shock evident in his voice. “I couldn’t wake up, I couldn’t stop myself. I don’t remember anything after you two took me down, other than being so full of terror I couldn’t think. Until I woke up with that lady over there,” here he points at Brooke, “hovering over me. She was holding my face and smiling at me, she told me everything would be alright and then she passed out.” The technician with Brooke is quick to reassure them all she was just asleep and would come to in her own time.

“I’m so glad you’re back with us Mon-El. Once we’ve gotten some food and that ale you’re so fond of in you, and caught you up, you could help us save someone else that’s very dear to me, and to the woman who just saved you!” Seeing Mon-El’s panicked look she hastened to add, “You don’t have to go anywhere, just tell us about the place they took you to. That’s all.” Relief floods Mon-El’s features as he nods agreement.

A few hours later, Mon-EL had given them excellent information about their base of operations. Cadmus had made a mistake in releasing him directly from the base, assuming he would either kill them, or be killed. It was in Nevada, near the old Fort Rozz site, taking advantage of the heavy armoury and camouflage equipment the army left there after Kara pushed Fort Rozz back into space. 

 

When the lab lets Kara know Brooke is awake, she goes to get her so she can join them in the command centre. When Brooke finds out they know where the base is, and haven’t made a move yet, she is incensed. Storming up to Hank, she accuses him of cowardice, shocking everyone into silence. Hank holds his temper admirably, explaining how he thinks they are already prepared for them. That they had been two steps ahead of them the whole time.

“So why are we still here? Let’s just go and get her for fucks sake” Brooke spits angrily.

“Because we can’t afford to just storm in there Ms. Knight! They are expecting us!”

“Yes, they are, so the only way is to get to them now, before they think we’ve had enough time to prepare and mobilise. And Hank? If they’ve hurt her? I’m going to rip them all apart” Brooke promised, her tone chilling. 

 

*********

 

Alex is roused from a nightmare by noise in the cell area. She hears moans of complaint and a dragging noise. Rushing to look out, she sees Lillian and her two goons, one of whom is dragging her father from his cell, “No! Where are you taking him?” She asks, frantic that she will never see him again. 

“Oh don’t worry my dear,” Lillian smirks, “you’re coming too.” She nods at one of her lackeys and he lifts a gun, training it on Alex as the slats across her cell door slide into the wall. As he enters to restrain her, Lillian warns her not to try and escape or she will have her father tortured and killed. They reach a sliding door that opens onto a laboratory, where her father is immediately shackled to the wall on the right. Lillian smiles genially, gesturing Alex to the medical bed. Raising her chin in defiance, Alex crosses her arms and stays right where she is. Smirking, Lilian just raises her eyebrow and looks towards her father. The guard who chained him to the wall lifts his gun, smashing the pommel across her father’s already battered face.

“No! Ok! Please, stop…” Alex walks towards the metal bed, lifting herself onto it, not yet laying down until she can see if her father is ok.

“Much better. See how simple it is when you do what you’re told?” Lillian provokes her, smiling the whole time, “Now, lie down and be a good girl for Daddy...”

Two lab technicians come in through a side door and push Alex down until she can feel the cool metal of the bed through her DEO t-shirt. They secure her with straps over her ankles, thighs, hips, above her breasts and her head. Her heart rate is beating faster and faster and she uses all the tricks she knows to try and contain her panic. Wondering why her arms have been left free, she soon finds out when two metal arms from beneath the table are extended at right angles to her shoulders and slotted in place. The technicians grab her arms and strap them down, leaving her elbows and wrists free. As they start attaching cannulas and IV lines to each arm, Lillian saunters over, the gleam of triumph in her eyes.

“What do you think it will do to your family, not to mention your lover, to find you poisoned beyond hope of a cure? Doomed to a slow and painful death that they are helpless to prevent? Hmmm?”

She stares at Lillian in shock, trying to process what she just told her. It won’t sink in. She can’t die now, not now, not after everything. Not after finding Brooke. She hears her father screaming out for her, Lillian turns her head away, she hears a thump and her father is silent. Alex feels numb, she knows when it wears off, she will be terrified. She starts taking deep, slow breaths to prepare for that moment, determined not to give the bitch the satisfaction of seeing her losing it. 

Lillian turns back to her, “As I was saying. We have intel that the DEO are mobilising. We also have it on good authority that they actually know where this base is.”

“A mole!” Alex blurts.

“Indeed. So, we’ll be ready. Unfortunately, without being able to place snipers in a building with floors, your lover can’t be taken out of action the same way as before. So, every soldier is instructed to throw everything they have at her,” Lillian pauses to grin at Alex’s expression, horror crossing it before she can stop it, “I personally hope she makes it this far, so she can see you're beyond saving before we take them all down!”

Lillian nods to the technicians and they start the IV’s. As soon as the blackish red liquid enters her veins, she can’t help but scream. It feels like she is being eaten alive from the inside out. Lillian stands there, watching her, gloating. But Alex is too far gone to do anything except writhe against her restraints, desperate to escape the pain. 

 

********

 

Hank, Kara and Brooke land softly outside the Cadmus facility, behind a clump of rocks and sagebrush. There were eight more DEO units following behind, led by Lucy, with strict instructions to engage only if signalled by Hank. They had decided, after much arguing, that as Cadmus wanted the three of them so badly, they would be the ones to make the initial assault. Therefore, if they got blind-sided or were severely outnumbered again, they were only sacrificing themselves, not hundreds of DEO agents. Hank had shifted to his Martian self in the air. Kara was wearing her new and improved Kryptonite belt, now bullet and shock proof. Brooke was wearing only her vest top, jeans and boots. What she did have though, was an aura of anger and determination so tangible, it was making even Hank regard her with respect, and maybe a little fear. 

Soldiers suddenly started to pour out of the building and take up defensive positions all around the entrance and to either side. It looked like they knew where they were waiting. “They must have tracked us in, they’re ready and waiting for us to make a move,” hissed Hank.

“Good!” Brooke growled back. 

Looking over at her, Kara watches in astonishment as Brooke’s eyes turn golden and her pupils narrow to vertical slits. Spreading her wings, she hisses then pounces. Within one minute, all the guards round the facility are unconscious. Kara and hank join Brooke at the entrance just as she is ripping the helmet off a soldier and dragging him to the door. Kara steps towards Brooke, worried about how her anger is affecting her actions. Hank stills her, they both watch as Brooke uses his thumb on the keypad, then forces one of his eyelids open as the optical scanner begins. A green light, a beep, and the door opens.

Hank and Kara follow her inside silently, feeling more and more like mere witnesses to a one-person show. Brooke is like a horseman of the apocalypse, raining down brimstone and ashes on everyone who gets in her way. Kara checks a few of the bodies as they pass, relieved to find weak pulses; at least Brooke isn’t murdering them all. They can only look on as Brooke continues to cut bloody swathes through the enemy, mopping up the odd one here and there who flees from her in terror. At one point Kara whispers to Hank, “Did you know she was capable of this?” Hank doesn’t take his eyes from Brooke as he whispers back, “I think Ms. Knight is capable of doing a great many things, Supergirl. And, I think she’s finally found someone worth doing it for…”

Coming to a sliding door, Brooke smashes open the control panel with her fist and manually opens it. They burst into what looks like a lab, and freeze. Alex is on a bed in front of them, seizing and screaming in agony. Hank sees Jeremiah Danvers hanging from chains on the wall, sobbing, and two guards moving towards them. Hank takes out one while Brooke deals with the other. Kara lets out her own sob and super speeds to Alex, ripping the IVs and tubes from her arm and tearing all the restraints open. Hank snaps the wall chains and slips an arm under Jeramiah, helping him stand and bringing him to Alex. Kara finally notices him and jumps to his other side, saying his name over and over. Brooke slowly walks to the foot of Alex’s bed watching her moan and squirm in pain.

“What did they do to her?” She croaks out, tears flowing freely.

“They've killed her,” sobs Jeremiah. Brooke snaps her head to him, “there’s no cure,” his voice breaks and he sags into Kara’s arms.

“Who?” Brooke asks in a deadly tone.

“Lillian Luthor,” whispers Jeramiah.

Brooke’s face goes blank. She sniffs several times then calmly walks out of the room. Kara stares after her, gobsmacked. Hank passes Jeramiah over to her completely, hoping to distract her. He gingerly approaches Alex, trying to find a way to help her, scanning the equipment to see if he can recognise anything like an anaesthetic or analgesic. He’s just as shocked as Kara that Brooke walked out, but they have to keep moving. It’s not safe to stay here.

Brooke moves rapidly through the complex, following the faint scent of perfume she had picked up in the lab. The soldiers trying to stop her were of no consequence, she was single minded in her pursuit of the person who had hurt Alex. She had to find her. Bursting through a door she finds a helicopter about to take off, and catches a whiff of that same perfume. Running full speed towards it she flaps her wings twice and easily lands on the runner. Ripping the door off its hinges she finds three men aiming shotguns at her. Pulling her arm back she throws the door into the helicopter, buying her enough time to knock the men unconscious. The pilot turns in his seat and she snaps his wrist, the pistol flying into the cockpit, snarling that he should probably not risk the other one if he wants to get this bird down again. Lillian is sitting there, trying to hide her fear. But Brooke can smell it, and it pleases her. Grabbing her by the hair, she tosses her out of the open space where the door used to be, jumping after her to catch her before her screams are cut off permanently. Standing on the helipad she lifts Lillian into the air by the throat, dangling her from one hand.

“How do I counteract the poison?” she demands, shaking her.

“There is no cure or antidote. You’re going to watch your beloved die, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Lilian crows, still defiant, even in the face of defeat. 

Brooke stares at her for a moment. A look of utter devastation on her face. Then she swallows and her eyes shine with renewed determination. “That’s where you’re wrong.” She states calmly, before snapping the woman’s neck and letting her drop from her hand.

She stares at her body, trying to feel guilty for killing her. Her anger and fear for Alex are all she can feel right now, for a moment she worries again about becoming the monster she always feared she could be. Looking up, out at the night sky, she realises if she does what she’s planning to, she won’t have to worry about that ever again. She laughs out loud, but it quickly turns into a strangled sob. Bending over, hands on her knees, it takes a few seconds to get control of herself again. Turning, she starts sprinting back to Alex, to the love of her life.

She finds all three of them surrounding Alex’s bed. Kara is supporting her head against her shoulder and cradling her upper body with her other arm. She’s stopped writhing and screaming now, but little noises of pain and despair escape her every now and then. Blood is leaking from her eyes and her nose. Her eyes are closed and she is unresponsive to Kara’s cajoling and pleading. She looks like she’s already dying. Brooke bites down on another sob and comes to the right side of the bed. Kara gently stretches her arms to give Alex to her and she reaches one arm under her back to lift her, curling her other arm around her to support her head. Brooke holds her in her arms, looking down at her, tears rolling down her cheeks to splash on Alex’s upturned face. Everyone sees her lips mouth the words ‘I love you’ and they turn away, to give her some privacy.

Brooke presses her lips against Alex's…

She starts to exhale.

Kara spins around when she feels the glow of light on her cheek, whatever is passing between Brooke and Alex is so bright even Kara has to squint her eyes. Glancing down, Kara sees the traces of black that flowed through Alex’s veins start to dissipate. All of three of them stare open mouthed at the pair of them, until Hank jerks as if shocked and shouts, “It will kill her!” Kara doesn’t understand, and when Hank tries to stop Brooke she yells out at him, moving into his path. Brooke is curing her, doesn’t he understand? All of them talk at the same time, not listening to each other. 

Alex can feel the fire in her veins ease, slowly her senses are coming back to her and she can think again. She feels like something is happening to her, something good. She feels like she is being made whole again, but doesn’t understand how. She was poisoned, that’s it. Incurable. Dying. Then why is she starting to feel better? She needs to open her eyes. Needs to understand. Forcing herself to concentrate, her eyes start to flicker open. Just dark shapes and images at first. Trying harder, the shapes focus and she realises Brooke is holding her in her arms, kissing her. 

Her first thought is relief. Brooke is here. Brooke saved her. Brooke loves her. Then she feels the steady breath being pumped into her. She struggles to understand what she’s doing at first. Then she remembers the story Brooke told them, about how she got her powers. The old lady breathed them into her and Brooke was well again. Alex relaxes for a second, her eyes closing again. Then an image of an old lady tumbling away from Brooke after the transfer comes to mind. Brooke said she rolled off her and collapsed, that she had no pulse. She died. The old lady died when she transferred her powers to Brooke. No! Alex’s eyes slam open and she tries to scream at Brooke. Focusing harder than she ever has before, she demands her arms move, gathers all her strength, and pushes at Brookes chest with all her might. Brooke breaks the transfer. Her eyes show her confusion for a second, then she sees Alex’s open eyes. She smiles serenely at her. When she blinks to clear her vision, a few more tears spill, this time of happiness. Alex sighs with relief, then gasps when she sees Brooke’s eyes roll back into her head as she falls to the floor.

“No! Brooke!”

 

**********

 

Alex lay on the med bay bed. Hank had been in to see her three times today already, ranting at her that it had been four weeks and it was time to live again. He was wasting his time. Nothing on Earth would get her to leave this room, other than to go to the bathroom of course. Looking at the bed over from her, she sighed, wishing with all her heart that Brooke would open her eyes again. She had been by her bedside, week after week, since Brooke had nearly sacrificed herself for Alex. Every day Alex begged her, with her touch, her voice and her mind, to wake up. To come back to her. Hank had even tried mind reading her. He said she’s there, but it’s like she’s stuck under the surface, like she’s given up.

Alex had been fine since that day. They had run tests and more tests on her the first forty-eight hours. Her healing rate had apparently increased to nearly as good as Brooke’s. No sign of wings yet though, which Alex was slightly disappointed about. There was also no sign of any lasting damage from the poison. Although, Alex had been getting a lot of nausea the last few days and had been sick, so today the doctors had insisted on another round of boring tests. She was worried though. She knew in her heart something was wrong. She knew her own body, and it felt different. Jumping off the bed she crossed over to Brooke’s. She had stood here countless times; holding her hand, stroking her face. Today though, today that didn’t feel enough. She looked around surreptitiously, seeing no one, she hopped up onto Brooke’s bed with her, stretching out along the length of her body, revelling in her warmth. So much better. Snuggling down she tried to let her anxiety over the tests fade and enjoy the closeness with her lover. She nearly fell off the bed when a hand shakily reached up to cup her cheek, and a voice, hoarse with disuse, asked, “Alex? Sweetheart? What’s wrong?”

Alex looks up to find Brooke’s beautiful hazel eyes staring at her in concern. Sobbing, she throws herself on top of her, begging her to never scare her like that again. Doctors pour into the room, alerted by the monitors. Alex slips from the bed as doctors gather around Brooke, never letting go of her hand. They tell Brooke what happened, that she has been in a coma for four weeks. 

“How is that possible though? I mean, I gave my powers to Alex. I should be dead?”

“Are you trying to say that’s better than a coma?” Shouted Alex, “are you trying to say that me being without you, forever, is better than driving myself crazy for four weeks? Not knowing if you’d ever wake up?” Alex’s face was going red, tears trickling down her face. 

Brooke’s heart clenched at what she had put Alex through, but she knew she couldn’t let her die. “What would you have done, if the roles were reversed?” she asked quietly.

Alex just stares at her, seeing her sorrow and regret, knowing that she wouldn’t have had a choice in her position either. Choking down another sob, she launches herself back into Brooke’s arms, who sobs right along with her. She never thought she’d be able to even see her again, let alone hold her in her arms.

Another Doctor comes in, Alex blushes and gets off the bed. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Brooke pout and can’t help but chuckle at her. Leaning back in, she gives her a peck on the lips, to keep her going until they can touch again. Doctor Andrews pretends not to notice, but the little smile on her face gives her away. Turning from the bench where she put her papers, she folds her arms and clears her throat.

“Actually, I’m here to see Alex this time. Brooke, you’re doing fine. We just need to put you on a strict exercise regime and diet to build your muscles back up.” Nodding at Alex, she inclines her head to the door, beckoning her to come with her. Alex looks at Brooke, then back at the doctor. “You can tell me in front of Brooke. She’s my life partner.” Brooke looks over at Alex with the biggest smile and immediately captures her lips in a passionate kiss. Alex pulls away, laughing and blushing, “I love you too,” she giggles.

The sound of a throat clearing makes them both turn their heads back to Doctor Andrews again, smiling sheepishly. “Are you sure you want me to tell you your results here?” Alex nods.

“Ok, well, let me be the first to congratulate you then,” Alex’s brow furrows. Congratulate her for being sick? “You’re four weeks pregnant.”

Silence.

Alex spins to face Brooke to see her reaction. She’s frozen, staring at the doctor in disbelief. Oh God, she’s going to think… And she wouldn’t. She’d never! Tears start to fall and she faces the doctor again, demanding a retest. The doctor assures her they double checked, her face showing her confusion at Alex’s panicked response. Alex starts to hyperventilate, staring straight at the doctor, unable to face Brooke again. She only just got her back, now she might lose her because she thinks…

Brooke finally snaps out of her stupor. Her head turns to Alex sharply, sensing her panic. She leans out of bed as far as she can, catching Alex’s upper arm. She flinches when she feels how Alex stiffens at her touch.

“Alex? Sweetheart? Come on, talk to me. Please? I love you…”

Alex finally allows herself to be drawn back to Brooke, as she turns she buries her head in her chest, crying heavily.

“Brooke, I swear I didn’t cheat on you. I didn’t… I don’t know how… please, you have to believe me,” she finally looks up to see Brooke looking at her mystified. Before she can carry on stuttering out her pleas, Brooke lifts a finger to her lips and softly says, “Alex! I know, I can feel you, remember?” Alex immediately calms down, sagging against Brooke in relief. 

Taking deep breaths, she asks the doctor the million-dollar question, “Doctor, I haven’t had sex with a man, how can I be pregnant?”

The doctor looks shocked, “but you must have…”

“I think I’d remember if I had. I’ve only been with Brooke recently. And only two other women before that as well, for the last seven months!” she retorted angrily.

“Erm,” she hears Brooke pipe up behind her, “I think I did it.”

Alex gawps at her. “How? Through the transfer?” Brooke nods. “But, you didn’t get pregnant when the old lady did it…” 

Brooke smiles gently, holding onto Alex’s hands, “I’m pretty sure that old lady wasn’t helplessly in love with me at the time,” she quips, her eyes shining.

Alex lapses into silence, looking at Brooke, studying her face. She can see Brooke getting more and more nervous, despite holding onto her hands. Alex knew she was feeling a multitude of different things at once; hope, fear, anxiety, worry, disbelief, panic, excitement. It was no wonder Brooke couldn’t figure out how she was feeling about this revelation. What Alex did know, was that this amazing woman wanted her. Her and no other. That she had already proved she would do anything to protect her. That they fit together.

“Brooke? Love? I'm going to have your baby.” She said, grinning at Brooke as she saw the realisation lift her face into an expression of pure joy.

Kara came running in, ahead of the rest of the gang, squealing “I’m going to be an Auntie?”

“Big ears,” Brooke replied, rolling her eyes whilst still smiling. Kara ignored her and launched herself at them, sweeping them both into a bear hug.

As the rest followed her in, looking bemused, Alex told them the news. Everyone was startled but pleased for them. Jeramiah and Eliza looked shell-shocked for a minute before hugging them. It had been overwhelming when they found out both their daughters had girlfriends, out of the blue, though they had been great about it. All they ever wanted was for them to be happy, after all, and they both seemed to be. So, they were happy for them. They seemed to take this in their stride too, Alex was so proud they were her parents. Their face’s when Kara called them Nan and Grandad were hilarious though. Winn joked about how the kid would have more aunts and uncles than they would know what to do with.

“And they’re going to have more mothers than they know what to do with as well,” Alex joked. Seeing Brooke’s expression fall, she turned to her, worriedly.

Brooke looked up at her, eyes wide and total awe in her expression, “Oh my God, Alex… I’m going to be a Mum!”


End file.
